South Bend Times

The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, subsidiary 610BY in Mishawaka, Indiana, scheduled 10,283 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 8,359 had a wait time of 30 days or less (81.3%) and 1,924 appointments (18.7%) 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 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
610A4	Fort Wayne	22,458	18,663	3,795
610	Marion	11,294	9,180	2,114
610BY	Mishawaka	10,283	8,359	1,924
610GD	Peru	2,886	2,789	97
610GB	Muncie	2,534	2,349	185
610QA	Fort Wayne	2,073	1,975	98
610GC	Goshen	1,546	1,538	8
610BU	Marion	37	22	15

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration