Central Montana Times

The VA Montana Health Care System, subsidiary 436HC in Havre, Montana scheduled 317 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 304 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.9%) and 13 appointments (4.1%) 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	13,294	10,004	3,290
436GC	Missoula	6,231	6,068	163
436GH	Billings	4,788	3,551	1,237
436GF	Kalispell	4,398	4,250	148
436GN	Billings	3,817	3,570	247
436GB	Great Falls	2,844	2,750	94
436GA	Anaconda	1,471	1,415	56
436GD	Bozeman	1,449	1,222	227
436QC	Helena	1,447	1,281	166
436QA	Hamilton	1,173	1,150	23
436HC	Havre	317	304	13
436A4	Miles City CLC	207	190	17
436GK	Glendive	199	154	45
436GM	Lewistown	179	179	0
436GL	Cut Bank	172	171	1
436GI	Glasgow	171	129	42
436QB	Plentywood	16	14	2

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration