Redding Today

The VA Northern California Health Care System, subsidiary 612GJ in Yreka, California, scheduled 359 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 319 had a wait time of 30 days or less (88.9%) and 40 appointments (11.1%) 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
612A4	Sacramento	38,313	31,558	6,755
612GF	Martinez	17,704	14,947	2,757
612GH	McClellan Park	15,685	13,208	2,477
612GG	Chico	8,481	8,083	398
612B4	Redding	8,244	7,189	1,055
612GE	Mare Island	5,428	4,831	597
612QC	Cypress Avenue	3,815	2,848	967
612BY	Oakland	3,341	2,836	505
612GD	Fairfield	2,706	2,296	410
612GI	Yuba City	1,839	1,731	108
612QB	Oakland	1,805	1,769	36
612GJ	Yreka	359	319	40
612QD	Howe Road	18	18	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration