Central Iowa Times

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System, subsidiary 636GX in Fort Dodge, Iowa, scheduled 325 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 320 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.5%) and five appointments (1.5%) 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
636A6	Des Moines	20,725	17,213	3,512
636GK	Fort Dodge	2,320	2,158	162
636GC	Mason City	2,172	1,940	232
636GM	Carroll	897	680	217
636GR	Knoxville	767	584	183
636GD	Marshalltown	455	384	71
636GX	Fort Dodge	325	320	5
636QB	Des Moines	45	45	0
636BU	Des Moines	16	16	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration