Northwoods Reporter

The VA Minneapolis Health Care System, subsidiary 618GM in Rice Lake, Wisconsin scheduled 1,001 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 891 had a wait time of 30 days or less (89%) and 110 appointments (11%) 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
618	Minneapolis	75,352	68,250	7,102
618BY	Superior	8,970	8,071	899
618GI	Ramsey	8,829	8,402	427
618GE	Chippewa Falls	4,217	3,268	949
618GD	Maplewood	3,195	3,002	193
618GG	Rochester	2,465	2,424	41
618GN	Mankato	2,070	2,044	26
618GJ	Shakopee	1,607	1,554	53
618GB	Hibbing	1,230	1,200	30
618GM	Rice Lake	1,001	891	110
618GK	Albert Lea	591	569	22
618GL	Minneapolis	336	335	1
618GH	Hayward	331	314	17
618GA	St. James	248	236	12
618QA	Fort Snelling	170	170	0
618QB	Ely	121	116	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration