South Omaha Times

The VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, subsidiary 636GL in Bellevue, Nebraska scheduled 3,404 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, 3,366 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.9%) and 38 appointments (1.1%) 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
636	Omaha	39,219	35,956	3,263
636A4	Grand Island	11,019	10,860	159
636A5	Lincoln	8,576	7,731	845
636GL	Bellevue	3,404	3,366	38
636GA	Norfolk	1,251	1,208	43
636GB	North Platte	1,230	1,190	40
636GQ	Holdrege	871	851	20
636GP	Shenandoah	735	684	51
636QA	Omaha Dorcas Street	51	51	0
636GV	O'Neill	20	19	1
636BX	Omaha	12	11	1
636BW	Grand Island	4	4	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration