Akron Reporter

The Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center, subsidiary 541GG in Akron, Ohio, scheduled eight pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, seven had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.5%) and one appointment (12.5%) was 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
541GL	Parma	20,542	18,114	2,428
541GG	Akron	17,657	15,902	1,755
541BY	Canton	12,136	11,637	499
541BZ	Youngstown	10,018	9,633	385
541GD	Mansfield	9,866	9,700	166
541GB	Lorain	9,581	9,315	266
541GF	Willoughby	8,484	8,026	458
541GC	Sandusky	6,317	5,368	949
541GI	Warren	3,945	3,643	302
541GH	East Liverpool	3,932	3,769	163
541GJ	New Philadelphia	3,867	3,694	173
541GK	Ravenna	3,375	3,218	157
541QB	Cleveland	576	572	4
541QF	Cuyahoga County 4	254	201	53
541GM	Cleveland	47	46	1
541GG	Akron	8	7	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration