Cape News

The Poplar Bluff VA Medical Center, subsidiary 657GH in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, scheduled 4,504 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 4,418 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.1%) and 86 appointments (1.9%) 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
657A4	Poplar Bluff	10,321	8,827	1,494
657GH	Cape Girardeau	4,504	4,418	86
657GI	Farmington	3,788	3,742	46
657GF	West Plains	2,704	2,657	47
657GG	Paragould	2,195	2,177	18
657GV	Sikeston	1,212	1,194	18
657GW	Pocahontas	757	755	2
657GN	Salem	156	152	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration