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Tuesday, November 5, 2024

33 newly enrolled VA Gulf Coast Veterans HCS patients seek medical appointments in July 2020

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The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi reported that 33 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 92,248 pending appointments across its 6 healthcare facilities.

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 don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System in Biloxi Pending Appointments Scheduled in August
LocationTotal Appointments ScheduledAppointments Scheduled 30 Days or LessAppointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Biloxi, MS33,13628,4634,673
Pensacola, FL33,69929,4504,249
Mobile, AL11,67310,780893
Panama City Beach, FL5,2995,145154
Eglin Air Force Base, FL7,2747,019255
Panama City Beach West, FL1,1671,14126
Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration

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