SE Tennessee News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GN in Athens, Tennessee scheduled 2,334 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, 2,216 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.9%) and 118 appointments (5.1%) 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
626	Nashville	60,642	55,779	4,863
626A4	Murfreesboro	50,465	47,564	2,901
626GF	Chattanooga	19,098	18,291	807
626GE	Clarksville	15,080	13,206	1,874
626QC	Chattanooga	7,023	6,256	767
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	6,535	6,303	232
626GJ	Hopkinsville	5,146	4,537	609
626GH	Cookeville	4,929	4,763	166
626GC	Bowling Green	4,925	4,783	142
626GO	International Plaza	4,810	4,676	134
626GM	Columbia	4,359	4,285	74
626QA	Albion Street	3,784	3,554	230
626GK	McMinnville	2,517	2,502	15
626GN	Athens	2,334	2,216	118
626GL	Harriman	2,315	2,248	67
626GP	Gallatin	2,159	2,117	42
626GA	Dover	1,295	1,191	104
626GG	Tullahoma	1,244	1,237	7
626QD	Murfreesboro	238	235	3
626MA	IDES Fort Campbell	213	213	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration