North Central PA Times

The Wilkes-Barre VA Medical Center, subsidiary 693GF in Berwick, Pennsylvania, scheduled 1,411 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, 1,390 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.5%) and 21 appointments (1.5%) 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
693	Wilkes-Barre	35,526	32,621	2,905
693	Wilkes-Barre	35,526	32,621	2,905
693B4	Allentown	9,409	9,020	389
693GB	Williamsport	3,473	3,429	44
693GA	Sayre	1,750	1,680	70
693GF	Berwick	1,411	1,390	21
693QA	Honesdale	761	756	5
693GG	Bangor	582	577	5
693GC	Tobyhanna	297	296	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration