East PDX Today

The Portland VA Medical Center, subsidiary 648GG in West Linn, Oregon, scheduled 1,831 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,749 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.5%) and 82 appointments (4.5%) 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
648	Portland	31,514	26,486	5,028
648A4	Portland Vancouver	9,193	8,457	736
648GB	Salem	4,191	3,756	435
648GA	Bend	4,010	3,317	693
648GE	Fairview	2,115	2,045	70
648GF	Hillsboro	2,086	1,903	183
648GG	West Linn	1,831	1,749	82
648GJ	The Dalles	955	903	52
648GI	Portland	241	203	38
648GH	Newport	171	153	18
648GD	Warrenton	115	114	1
648BU	Vancouver	2	2	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration