Wichita Standard

The Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center, subsidiary 589A7 in Wichita, Kansas, scheduled 28,051 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 25,525 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91%) and 2,526 appointments (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 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
589A7	Wichita	28,051	25,525	2,526
589QC	South Parklane	5,164	4,352	812
589GW	Salina	3,134	3,006	128
589G7	Hutchinson	2,035	2,020	15
589G4	Hays	1,704	1,467	237
589G2	Dodge City	1,194	1,191	3
589G5	Parsons	871	836	35
589G3	Liberal	310	299	11
589MB	IDES McConnel AFB	10	10	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration