NE New York Today

The Albany Stratton VA Medical Center, subsidiary 528GV in Plattsburgh, New York scheduled 2,329 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, 2,307 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.1%) and 22 appointments (0.9%) 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 who 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
528A8	Albany	38,884	36,285	2,599
528GT	Glens Falls	3,444	3,385	59
528GV	Plattsburgh	2,329	2,307	22
528GZ	Kingston	2,151	2,123	28
528GW	Schenectady	1,850	1,793	57
528GY	Clifton Park	1,638	1,597	41
528G6	Fonda	1,254	1,224	30
528G7	Catskill	1,210	1,192	18
528GX	Troy	1,026	1,003	23
528G3	Bainbridge	896	834	62
528QK	Saranac Lake	660	648	12
528G2	Westport	550	538	12

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration