Glacier Country News

The VA Montana Health Care System, subsidiary 436GL in Cut Bank, Montana, scheduled 234 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 232 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.2%) and two appointments (0.9%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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 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
436	Fort Harrison	13,456	12,114	1,342
436GC	Missoula	6,722	6,454	268
436GF	Kalispell	5,454	5,281	173
436GH	Billings	5,301	4,408	893
436GN	Billings	5,231	5,140	91
436GB	Great Falls	3,504	3,459	45
436GD	Bozeman	1,602	1,527	75
436GA	Anaconda	1,307	1,291	16
436QA	Hamilton	1,224	1,213	11
436QC	Helena	655	576	79
436GI	Glasgow	402	398	4
436HC	Havre	397	387	10
436A4	Miles City CLC	385	376	9
436GM	Lewistown	355	349	6
436GK	Glendive	344	343	1
436GL	Cut Bank	234	232	2
436QB	Plentywood	19	19	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration