East Panhandle Times

The Martinsburg VA Medical Center, subsidiary 613BU in Martinsburg, West Virginia, scheduled 42 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 40 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.2%) and two appointments (4.8%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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	29,439	26,732	2,707
613GG	Frederick	3,527	3,404	123
613GC	Stephens City	3,240	3,126	114
613GB	Hagerstown	3,199	3,095	104
613GA	Cumberland	2,182	1,919	263
613GF	Harrisonburg	1,906	1,867	39
613GE	Petersburg	1,248	1,247	1
613GD	Franklin	147	146	1
613BU	Martinsburg	42	40	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration