Hill Country Chronicle

The VA South Texas Health Care System, subsidiary 671A4 in Kerrville, Texas, scheduled 12,267 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, 10,796 had a wait time of 30 days or less (88%) and 1,471 appointments (12%) 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
671	San Antonio	55,793	49,064	6,729
671QB	San Antonio	19,036	12,613	6,423
671BY	San Antonio Eckert Road	17,063	16,578	485
671GK	San Antonio	15,277	15,147	130
671A4	Kerrville	12,267	10,796	1,471
671GO	North Central Federal	10,744	10,317	427
671GP	Balcones Heights	6,211	6,048	163
671GL	New Braunfels	5,379	5,302	77
671GQ	Shavano Park	4,917	4,864	53
671GF	San Antonio	4,436	4,374	62
671GB	Victoria	2,608	2,592	16
671GN	Seguin	1,247	1,242	5
671GH	Beeville	144	139	5
671BU	San Antonio	78	78	0
671PA	San Antonio SARRTP	5	5	0
671DT	Unknown	4	4	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration