Western ND News

The Fargo VA Medical Center, subsidiary 437GF in Williston, North Dakota scheduled 111 pending appointments during the period ending June 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 107 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.4%) and four 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	19,282	17,009	2,273
437GB	Bismarck	1,082	969	113
437GE	Bemidji	903	848	55
437GD	Minot	683	573	110
437GI	Grand Forks	585	560	25
437GC	Fergus Falls	403	389	14
437GJ	Dickinson	234	228	6
437GK	Jamestown	163	148	15
437GA	Grafton	152	147	5
437GL	Devils Lake	137	136	1
437GF	Williston	111	107	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration