Kauai Sun

The VA Pacific Islands Health Care System, subsidiary 459GD in Lihue, Hawaii scheduled 2,161 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,038 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.3%) and 123 appointments (5.7%) 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
459	Urban Honolulu	28,428	25,550	2,878
459GB	Hilo	3,968	3,677	291
459GE	Guam	3,272	3,036	236
459GG	Ewa Beach	3,158	3,045	113
459GA	Kahului	3,064	2,825	239
459GD	Lihue	2,161	2,038	123
459GC	Kailua	1,953	1,747	206
459GF	American Samoa	1,071	974	97
459GH	Saipan	106	101	5
459QB	Kaunakakai	91	86	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration