Okeechobee Times

The VA Bay Pines Health Care System, subsidiary 516GH in Sebring, Florida, scheduled 4,246 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, 4,151 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.8%) and 95 appointments (2.2%) 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
516	Bay Pines	83,695	77,273	6,422
516BZ	Cape Coral	50,598	47,500	3,098
516GD	Bradenton	14,025	12,658	1,367
516GA	Sarasota	11,585	11,060	525
516GE	Port Charlotte	8,789	8,194	595
516GF	Naples	7,192	6,987	205
516GC	Palm Harbor	6,921	6,768	153
516GH	Sebring	4,246	4,151	95
516GB	St. Petersburg	2,549	2,500	49

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration