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Pensacola Times

Monday, December 23, 2024

VA reports increase in number of October appointments scheduled at VA Gulf Coast Veterans HCS health facility in Pensacola

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The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, subsidiary 520BZ in Pensacola, Florida scheduled 45,921 pending appointments in October compared to 37,401 during the same period last year, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran's Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments this October, 42,373 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.3%) and 3,548 appointments (7.7%) 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 or better to 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 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.

VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System - 520BZ Appointments Scheduled in October 2019 vs. October 2018

Facility CodeLocationTotal Appointments Scheduled in October 2019Total Appointments Scheduled in October 2018Percent change in number of appointments
520Biloxi39,13439,224-0.2%
520BZPensacola45,92137,40122.8%
520GAMobile14,31512,44815%
520GBPanama City Beach7,2836,04320.5%
520GCEglin AFB8,5637,40715.6%
520QAPanama City Beach1,15494821.7%
Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration

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