NC Minnesota News

The Fargo VA Medical Center, subsidiary 437GE in Bemidji, Minnesota, scheduled 1,105 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,060 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.9%) and 45 appointments (4.1%) 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	21,876	19,406	2,470
437GB	Bismarck	1,300	1,181	119
437GE	Bemidji	1,105	1,060	45
437GD	Minot	880	853	27
437GI	Grand Forks	695	684	11
437GC	Fergus Falls	487	479	8
437GJ	Dickinson	275	270	5
437GF	Williston	194	185	9
437GL	Devils Lake	189	185	4
437GK	Jamestown	185	183	2
437GA	Grafton	143	140	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration