Northwoods Reporter

The VA Minneapolis Health Care System, subsidiary 618GH in Hayward, Wisconsin scheduled 337 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 326 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.7%) and 11 appointments (3.3%) 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 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	72,201	66,050	6,151
618GI	Ramsey	8,872	8,545	327
618BY	Superior	8,840	8,018	822
618GE	Chippewa Falls	4,064	3,175	889
618GD	Maplewood	3,137	2,977	160
618GG	Rochester	2,589	2,493	96
618GN	Mankato	1,989	1,957	32
618GJ	Shakopee	1,607	1,570	37
618GB	Hibbing	1,150	1,105	45
618GM	Rice Lake	982	826	156
618GK	Albert Lea	550	534	16
618GH	Hayward	337	326	11
618GL	Minneapolis	273	270	3
618GA	St. James	232	223	9
618QA	Fort Snelling	130	130	0
618QB	Ely	114	112	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration