North Iowa Reporter

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System, subsidiary 636GC in Mason City, Iowa scheduled 3,092 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, 2,642 had a wait time of 30 days or less (85.5%) and 450 appointments (14.6%) 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 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
636A6	Des Moines	24,020	21,426	2,594
636GC	Mason City	3,092	2,642	450
636GK	Fort Dodge	2,430	2,396	34
636GM	Carroll	877	827	50
636GR	Knoxville	792	749	43
636GD	Marshalltown	446	423	23
636GX	Fort Dodge	374	374	0
636QB	Des Moines	153	153	0
636BU	Des Moines	8	7	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration