Des Moines Sun

The VA Central Iowa Health Care System, subsidiary 636A6 in Des Moines, Iowa, scheduled 20,373 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 16,723 had a wait time of 30 days or less (82.1%) and 3,650 appointments (17.9%) 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	20,373	16,723	3,650
636GK	Fort Dodge	2,339	2,136	203
636GC	Mason City	2,294	2,049	245
636GM	Carroll	899	671	228
636GR	Knoxville	821	551	270
636GD	Marshalltown	444	319	125
636GX	Fort Dodge	314	312	2
636QB	Des Moines	44	44	0
636BU	Des Moines	15	15	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration