NC Minnesota News

The Fargo VA Medical Center, subsidiary 437GE in Bemidji, Minnesota, scheduled 1,034 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,003 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97%) and 31 appointments (3%) 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
437	Fargo	21,011	18,555	2,456
437GB	Bismarck	1,192	1,102	90
437GE	Bemidji	1,034	1,003	31
437GD	Minot	807	768	39
437GI	Grand Forks	700	684	16
437GC	Fergus Falls	458	450	8
437GJ	Dickinson	306	302	4
437GK	Jamestown	191	186	5
437GL	Devils Lake	173	173	0
437GF	Williston	147	142	5
437GA	Grafton	136	135	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration