The Marion VA Medical Center Illinois scheduled 48,768 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 44,668 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91.59%) and 4,100 appointments (8.41%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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 cautioning 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.

Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains 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 don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Marion, IL	14,077	11,487	2,590
Marion MH-RRTP	63	63	0
Evansville, IN	19,151	17,918	1,233
Mount Vernon, IL	2,557	2,556	1
Paducah, KY	3,070	3,047	23
Effingham, IL	863	850	13
Hanson, KY	493	479	14
Owensboro, KY	2,039	1,989	50
Vincennes, IN	973	881	92
Mayfield, KY	1,839	1,801	38
Carbondale, IL	2,180	2,179	1
Harrisburg, IL	742	740	2
Heartland Street, IL	721	678	43