NE New Mexico News

The VA New Mexico Health Care System, subsidiary 501HB in Raton, New Mexico scheduled 580 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 574 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99%) and six appointments (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.

VA New Mexico Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
501	Albuquerque	65,667	57,855	7,812
501GM	Rio Rancho	5,459	5,055	404
501GK	Santa Fe	3,117	3,007	110
501GB	Farmington	2,411	2,294	117
501GJ	Durango	1,926	1,897	29
501GA	Artesia	1,701	1,645	56
501GI	Alamogordo	1,515	1,311	204
501GD	Gallup	1,175	1,140	35
501GH	Truth or Consequences	1,007	993	14
501G2	Las Vegas	953	933	20
501GN	Taos	941	872	69
501GC	Silver City	876	842	34
501GE	Espanola	716	674	42
501HB	Raton	580	574	6

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration