Niagara Leader

The VA Western New York at Buffalo Health Care System, subsidiary 528GD in Niagara Falls, New York scheduled 1,638 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,615 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.6%) and 23 appointments (1.4%) 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
528	Buffalo	55,374	52,219	3,155
528A4	Batavia	7,764	7,640	124
528GR	Olean	1,986	1,965	21
528GB	Jamestown	1,852	1,824	28
528GC	Dunkirk	1,725	1,709	16
528GQ	Lackawanna	1,656	1,615	41
528GD	Niagara Falls	1,638	1,615	23
528GK	Lockport	1,063	1,055	8
528QA	Buffalo	186	185	1
528QB	Packard	71	70	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration