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The Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center, subsidiary 655GF in Bad Axe, Michigan, scheduled 1,482 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, 1,464 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.8%) and 18 appointments (1.2%) 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
655	Saginaw	15,311	11,529	3,782
655QA	Saginaw Barnard Road	2,999	2,975	24
655GB	Traverse City	1,934	1,881	53
655GE	Clare	1,733	1,605	128
655GC	Oscoda	1,680	1,628	52
655GF	Bad Axe	1,482	1,464	18
655GD	Alpena	1,478	1,386	92
655GG	Cadillac	947	822	125
655GA	Gaylord	686	656	30
655GI	Grayling	472	448	24
655GH	Mackinaw City	445	437	8
655QB	Traverse City	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration