Yellowstone Times

The VA Montana Health Care System, subsidiary 436GD in Bozeman, Montana, scheduled 1,362 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,255 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.1%) and 107 appointments (7.9%) 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 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	14,849	12,123	2,726
436GC	Missoula	6,146	6,034	112
436GH	Billings	5,279	4,173	1,106
436GF	Kalispell	4,676	4,487	189
436GN	Billings	4,242	3,851	391
436GB	Great Falls	3,051	2,887	164
436GA	Anaconda	1,508	1,451	57
436GD	Bozeman	1,362	1,255	107
436QA	Hamilton	1,232	1,211	21
436QC	Helena	985	878	107
436HC	Havre	363	316	47
436A4	Miles City CLC	238	234	4
436GM	Lewistown	226	222	4
436GK	Glendive	225	222	3
436GI	Glasgow	190	185	5
436GL	Cut Bank	184	183	1
436QB	Plentywood	25	20	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration