SE Connecticut News

The VA Connecticut Health Care System, subsidiary 689HC in New London, Connecticut, scheduled 1,269 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,223 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.4%) and 46 appointments (3.6%) 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
689	West Haven	31,578	27,982	3,596
689A4	Newington	24,885	21,452	3,433
689HC	New London	1,269	1,223	46
689GA	Waterbury	954	917	37
689GB	Stamford	875	869	6
689GC	Willimantic	417	398	19
689GE	Danbury	339	290	49
689GD	Winsted	164	159	5
689QA	West Haven	102	100	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration