Maine Highlands News

The VA Maine Health Care System reported that 146 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending June 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 43,332 pending appointments across its 12 healthcare facilities.

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 or better to 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Togus, ME	28,233	22,953	5,280
Caribou, ME	484	457	27
Calais, ME	589	426	163
Rumford, ME	433	381	52
Saco, ME	961	866	95
Lewiston, ME	2,506	2,076	430
Lincoln, ME	160	100	60
Bangor, ME	7,583	6,944	639
Portland, ME	2,154	2,013	141
Bingham, ME - Mobile	201	175	26
Fort Kent, ME	10	10	0
Houlton, ME	18	8	10

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration