Central Montana Times

The VA Montana Health Care System, subsidiary 436HC in Havre, Montana scheduled 325 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 291 had a wait time of 30 days or less (89.5%) and 34 appointments (10.5%) 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
436	Fort Harrison	16,025	14,351	1,674
436GC	Missoula	7,217	7,030	187
436GH	Billings	6,689	6,041	648
436GF	Kalispell	5,640	5,486	154
436GN	Billings	4,356	4,084	272
436GB	Great Falls	3,219	3,047	172
436GD	Bozeman	1,871	1,789	82
436GA	Anaconda	1,756	1,716	40
436QC	Helena	1,632	1,394	238
436QA	Hamilton	1,302	1,265	37
436GM	Lewistown	547	487	60
436HC	Havre	325	291	34
436A4	Miles City CLC	306	294	12
436GK	Glendive	271	233	38
436GL	Cut Bank	224	219	5
436GI	Glasgow	199	194	5
436QB	Plentywood	32	30	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration