Anoka Times

The VA Minneapolis Health Care System, subsidiary 618GI in Ramsey, Minnesota scheduled 9,116 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 8,787 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.4%) and 329 appointments (3.6%) 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.

VA Minneapolis Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
618	Minneapolis	72,360	66,617	5,743
618GI	Ramsey	9,116	8,787	329
618BY	Superior	8,892	8,077	815
618GE	Chippewa Falls	3,804	3,110	694
618GD	Maplewood	3,063	2,850	213
618GG	Rochester	3,051	2,646	405
618GN	Mankato	2,018	1,978	40
618GJ	Shakopee	1,915	1,826	89
618GB	Hibbing	1,351	1,233	118
618GM	Rice Lake	1,122	829	293
618GK	Albert Lea	762	747	15
618GH	Hayward	395	387	8
618GL	Minneapolis	338	336	2
618GA	St. James	229	224	5
618QA	Fort Snelling	213	213	0
618QB	Ely	115	112	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration