Lewiston Times

The VA Maine Health Care System, subsidiary 402GE in Lewiston, Maine, scheduled 2,620 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, 2,107 had a wait time of 30 days or less (80.4%) and 513 appointments (19.6%) 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
402	Augusta	26,119	21,434	4,685
402HB	Bangor	7,838	6,459	1,379
402GE	Lewiston	2,620	2,107	513
402HC	Portland	2,296	2,048	248
402GD	Saco	1,020	895	125
402GA	Caribou	640	625	15
402GC	Rumford	489	472	17
402GB	Calais	125	104	21
402GF	Lincoln	116	85	31
402HL	Bingham	15	14	1
402QA	Fort Kent	5	4	1
402QB	Houlton	3	3	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration