Western ND News

The Fargo VA Medical Center, subsidiary 437GJ in Dickinson, North Dakota scheduled 391 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 377 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.4%) and 14 appointments (3.6%) 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 who 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	28,330	27,047	1,283
437GB	Bismarck	2,027	1,963	64
437GE	Bemidji	1,515	1,504	11
437GD	Minot	1,293	1,260	33
437GI	Grand Forks	1,120	1,103	17
437GC	Fergus Falls	659	654	5
437GJ	Dickinson	391	377	14
437GK	Jamestown	312	309	3
437GF	Williston	279	277	2
437GA	Grafton	275	274	1
437GL	Devils Lake	259	257	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration