South Bend Times

The VA Northern Indiana Health Care System, subsidiary 610BY in Mishawaka, Indiana, scheduled 10,366 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 8,580 had a wait time of 30 days or less (82.8%) and 1,786 appointments (17.2%) 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	23,065	19,586	3,479
610	Marion	10,878	9,562	1,316
610BY	Mishawaka	10,366	8,580	1,786
610GD	Peru	3,223	3,157	66
610GB	Muncie	2,863	2,761	102
610QA	Fort Wayne	2,336	2,231	105
610GC	Goshen	1,718	1,697	21
610BU	Marion	27	13	14
610QB	Columbia Place	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration