Maui Reporter

The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, subsidiary 459GA in Kahului, Hawaii, scheduled 2,475 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,330 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.1%) and 145 appointments (5.9%) 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 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
459	Urban Honolulu	20,367	17,929	2,438
459GE	Guam	2,613	2,552	61
459GA	Kahului	2,475	2,330	145
459GB	Hilo	2,164	1,946	218
459GD	Lihue	2,045	1,941	104
459GC	Kailua	1,653	1,500	153
459GG	Ewa Beach	1,438	1,381	57
459GF	American Samoa	368	354	14
459GH	Saipan	108	104	4
459QB	Kaunakakai	89	86	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration