East Panhandle Times

The Martinsburg VA Medical Center, subsidiary 613 in Martinsburg, West Virginia, scheduled 19,444 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 17,983 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.5%) and 1,461 appointments (7.5%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported that wait times for new appointments at VA health care facilities were similar to or better than wait times at private-sector providers between 2014 and 2017.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO), however, released a report in July 2019 that cautioned that the VA's data-tracking system only captures part of the appointment process and fails to account for the time that it takes the VA to enroll veterans in its health benefits program.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to one of eight priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who do not have service-connected disabilities and earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
613	Martinsburg	19,444	17,983	1,461
613GG	Frederick	3,602	3,455	147
613GC	Stephens City	3,045	2,994	51
613GB	Hagerstown	2,866	2,648	218
613GA	Cumberland	1,857	1,789	68
613GF	Harrisonburg	1,779	1,765	14
613GE	Petersburg	1,117	1,113	4
613GD	Franklin	117	117	0
613BU	Martinsburg	73	68	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration