North Nevada News

The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, subsidiary 660GK in Elko, Nevada scheduled 100 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 88 had a wait time of 30 days or less (88%) and 12 appointments (12%) 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 who 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
660	Salt Lake City	53,244	48,743	4,501
660GB	Ogden	5,510	5,434	76
660QA	Idaho Falls	3,198	3,026	172
660GA	Pocatello	3,061	2,880	181
660GJ	West Valley City	2,575	2,455	120
660GG	St. George	2,329	2,216	113
660GE	Orem	2,099	2,052	47
660QC	South Ogden	826	729	97
660GD	Roosevelt	230	218	12
660QB	Price	159	152	7
660GK	Elko	100	88	12
660MA	IDES Hill AFB	22	22	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration