Maine Highlands News

The VA Maine Health Care System, subsidiary 402GF in Lincoln, Maine scheduled 357 pending appointments during the period ending January 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 326 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91.3%) and 31 appointments (8.7%) 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
402	Augusta	38,719	35,918	2,801
402HB	Bangor	12,724	11,996	728
402GE	Lewiston	3,811	3,560	251
402HC	Portland	3,187	2,997	190
402GD	Saco	1,689	1,571	118
402GA	Caribou	1,013	953	60
402GC	Rumford	751	689	62
402GB	Calais	595	587	8
402GF	Lincoln	357	326	31
402HL	Bingham	275	265	10
402QA	Fort Kent	39	39	0
402QB	Houlton	21	21	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration