Monmouth Times

The VA New Jersey Health Care System, subsidiary 561GI in Tinton Falls, New Jersey scheduled 5,188 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 5,034 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97%) and 154 appointments (3%) 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
561	East Orange	39,342	35,213	4,129
561BZ	Brick	19,885	18,781	1,104
561A4	Lyons	18,773	17,588	1,185
561GD	Hackensack	7,294	7,191	103
561GI	Tinton Falls	5,188	5,034	154
561GA	Hamilton	2,022	1,978	44
561GF	Piscataway	1,766	1,763	3
561GJ	Paterson	1,388	1,375	13
561GH	Morristown	1,368	1,337	31
561GE	Jersey City	1,254	1,252	2
561GB	Elizabeth	915	912	3
561GK	Sussex	838	821	17

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration