VA Montana Health Care System scheduled 41,180 pending appointments across its eighteen locations in December compared to 44,597 the previous month, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Of the total number of appointments, 38,052 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.4%) and 3,128 appointments (7.6%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.
A study <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2720917?guestAccessKey=05b5223a-
%201756-4852-bd4f-f66f53d44e77″>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 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 cautioning 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.
Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.
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 who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.
| Location | Total Appointments Scheduled in December | Total Appointments Scheduled in November | Percent change in number of appointments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort Harrison, MT | 13,130 | 14,117 | -7% |
| Miles City CLC, MT | 229 | 274 | -16.4% |
| Anaconda, MT | 1,318 | 1,464 | -10% |
| Great Falls, MT | 3,020 | 3,316 | -8.9% |
| Missoula, MT (David J. Thatcher) | 5,763 | 6,204 | -7.1% |
| Bozeman, MT | 1,173 | 1,343 | -12.7% |
| Kalispell, MT | 4,529 | 4,690 | -3.4% |
| Billings Majestic Lane, MT (Benjamin Charles Steele) | 4,884 | 5,432 | -10.1% |
| Glasgow, MT | 255 | 276 | -7.6% |
| Glendive, MT | 246 | 255 | -3.5% |
| Cut Bank, MT | 248 | 260 | -4.6% |
| Lewistown, MT | 189 | 211 | -10.4% |
| Billings Spring Creek Lane, MT (Dr. Joseph Medicine Crow) | 4,066 | 4,368 | -6.9% |
| Havre, MT (Merril Lundman) | 406 | 419 | -3.1% |
| Hamilton, MT | 1,168 | 1,232 | -5.2% |
| Plentywood, MT | 24 | 28 | -14.3% |
| Helena, MT | 532 | 708 | -24.9% |
Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration
