Northwoods Reporter

The VA Minneapolis Health Care System reported that 22 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested an appointments but had not received one during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 77,896 pending appointments across its 16 healthcare facilities.

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 or better to 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Minneapolis, MN	52,636	44,290	8,346
Twin Ports, WI	6,608	5,662	946
St. James, MN	574	523	51
Hibbing, MN	750	701	49
Maplewood, MN	2,547	2,190	357
Chippewa Valley, WI	2,724	2,556	168
Rochester, MN	1,997	1,962	35
Hayward, WI	310	304	6
Northwest Metro, MN	5,314	4,239	1,075
Shakopee, MN	969	930	39
Albert Lea, MN	546	538	8
Minneapolis Harmon Place, MN	182	182	0
Rice Lake, WI	1,036	934	102
Mankato, MN (Lyle C. Pearson)	1,512	1,436	76
Fort Snelling, MN	52	52	0
Ely, MN	139	123	16

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration