Western South Dakota News

The VA Black Hills Health Care System, subsidiary 568HF in Pine Ridge, South Dakota scheduled 21 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, 21 had a wait time of 30 days or less.

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
568	Fort Meade	9,702	9,055	647
568A4	Hot Springs	4,394	4,201	193
568GA	Rapid City	3,690	3,433	257
568GB	Pierre	892	889	3
568HH	Scottsbluff	432	416	16
568HJ	Mission	75	75	0
568HB	Gordon	74	74	0
568HA	Newcastle	31	30	1
568HF	Pine Ridge	21	21	0
568MA	IDES Ellsworth AFB	12	12	0
568HP	Winner	10	10	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration