West PDX Today

The Portland VA Medical Center, subsidiary 648GF in Hillsboro, Oregon scheduled 4,260 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, 4,017 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.3%) and 243 appointments (5.7%) 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
648	Portland	49,937	42,788	7,149
648A4	Portland Vancouver	17,042	15,557	1,485
648GB	Salem	8,268	7,280	988
648GA	Bend	5,926	5,129	797
648GF	Hillsboro	4,260	4,017	243
648GE	Fairview	3,080	3,002	78
648GG	West Linn	2,506	2,460	46
648GJ	The Dalles	1,364	1,338	26
648GD	Warrenton	330	319	11
648GI	Portland	251	219	32
648GH	Newport	234	202	32
648BU	Vancouver	22	22	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration