Mercer Times

The VA New Jersey Health Care System, subsidiary 561GA in Hamilton, New Jersey, scheduled 411 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 406 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.8%) and five appointments (1.2%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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
561	East Orange	22,333	19,359	2,974
561BZ	Brick	12,816	11,687	1,129
561A4	Lyons	12,425	9,994	2,431
561GI	Tinton Falls	2,713	2,619	94
561GI	Tinton Falls	2,713	2,619	94
561GD	Hackensack	2,540	2,516	24
561GF	Piscataway	1,074	988	86
561GJ	Paterson	1,010	967	43
561GH	Morristown	931	835	96
561GE	Jersey City	887	874	13
561GA	Hamilton	411	406	5
561GK	Sussex	361	360	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration