Topeka Sun

The VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System, subsidiary 589A5 in Topeka, Kansas scheduled 25,672 pending appointments during the period ending January 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 24,236 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.4%) and 1,436 appointments (5.6%) 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 who 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
589A5	Topeka	25,672	24,236	1,436
589A6	Leavenworth	21,580	20,885	695
589GR	Junction City	3,553	3,276	277
589GI	St. Joseph	2,529	2,439	90
589GJ	Kansas City	1,245	1,185	60
589JE	Platte City	1,072	1,050	22
589GV	Fort Scott	813	795	18
589GU	Lawrence	458	433	25
589GM	Chanute	327	325	2
589GP	Garnett	170	168	2
589BU	Leavenworth	107	106	1
589MA	Ft. Riley DES Clinic	19	19	0
589MD	IDES Fort Leavenworth	2	2	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration