April 9, 2015

South Bend VA Among Worst for Wait Times

In this May 30, 2011 photo, Rich Mrozinski, Veterans of Foreign Wars commander for the Department of Indiana 3rd District, plants a flag during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Rolling Prairie, Ind., Cemetery.  - The Associated Press

In this May 30, 2011 photo, Rich Mrozinski, Veterans of Foreign Wars commander for the Department of Indiana 3rd District, plants a flag during a Memorial Day ceremony at the Rolling Prairie, Ind., Cemetery.

The Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Government data reviewed by The Associated Press shows South Bend's Veterans Affairs clinic is among the 50 VA hospitals and clinics around the nation with the highest percentage of appointments that took more than 30 days to complete.

The AP reviewed wait times for appointments completed between September and February for 940 U.S. outpatient clinics and hospitals.

That review shows the South Bend VA Clinic had the nation's 45th-highest rate of long waits. About 7 percent of its appointments failed to meet the VA's goal for seeing patients within 30 days. That's well above the national average of 2.8 percent.

More than 10,000 of some 467,000 appointments completed at Indiana's 18 VA clinics and hospitals didn't meet the federal goal, or 2.28 percent.

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