Wastach News

The VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, subsidiary 660GD in Roosevelt, Utah scheduled 210 pending appointments during the period ending April 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 204 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.1%) and six appointments (2.9%) 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 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	40,673	36,651	4,022
660GB	Ogden	4,470	4,302	168
660QA	Idaho Falls	3,218	3,049	169
660GA	Pocatello	2,631	2,336	295
660GJ	West Valley City	2,117	1,985	132
660GG	St. George	1,807	1,372	435
660GE	Orem	1,119	1,064	55
660QC	South Ogden	715	638	77
660GD	Roosevelt	210	204	6
660QB	Price	50	48	2
660GK	Elko	38	36	2
660MA	IDES Hill AFB	19	19	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration