UP Gazette

The Oscar G. Johnson VA Medical Center, subsidiary 585GC in Menominee, Michigan, scheduled 341 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, 316 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.7%) and 25 appointments (7.3%) 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
585	Iron Mountain	9,287	7,585	1,702
585HA	Marquette	971	883	88
585GB	Rhinelander	665	621	44
585GA	Hancock	488	440	48
585HB	Sault Saint Marie	432	400	32
585GC	Menominee	341	316	25
585GF	Manistique	287	277	10
585GD	Ironwood	213	195	18

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration