Reno Reporter

The VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, subsidiary 654GE in Reno, Nevada scheduled 4,929 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, 4,774 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.9%) and 155 appointments (3.1%) 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
654	Reno	26,248	23,204	3,044
654GE	Reno	4,929	4,774	155
654QD	Reno	4,296	3,917	379
654GB	Gardnerville	2,167	2,030	137
654QA	Kietzke	2,127	1,798	329
654GC	Fallon	1,084	1,009	75
654GD	Susanville	380	344	36
654QC	Winnemucca	171	127	44
654QB	Capitol Hill	5	5	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration