East Central Iowa News

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System, subsidiary 636GD in Marshalltown, Iowa scheduled 343 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 226 had a wait time of 30 days or less (65.9%) and 117 appointments (34.1%) 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
636A6	Des Moines	19,076	15,262	3,814
636GC	Mason City	2,778	2,298	480
636GK	Fort Dodge	2,124	2,022	102
636GM	Carroll	727	389	338
636GR	Knoxville	639	553	86
636GD	Marshalltown	343	226	117
636GX	Fort Dodge	250	249	1
636QB	Des Moines	2	2	0
636BU	Des Moines	2	2	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration