SE Tennessee News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GN in Athens, Tennessee, scheduled 2,072 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,905 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91.9%) and 167 appointments (8.1%) 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 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	49,161	43,206	5,955
626A4	Murfreesboro	44,485	38,635	5,850
626GF	Chattanooga	15,676	14,716	960
626GE	Clarksville	12,378	11,492	886
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	5,712	5,596	116
626GH	Cookeville	5,511	5,366	145
626QC	Chattanooga	5,438	4,737	701
626GC	Bowling Green	4,810	4,512	298
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,652	4,393	259
626GO	International Plaza	4,318	4,154	164
626GM	Columbia	3,404	3,262	142
626QA	Albion Street	3,118	2,912	206
626GL	Harriman	2,292	2,232	60
626GN	Athens	2,072	1,905	167
626GK	McMinnville	2,047	2,002	45
626GP	Gallatin	1,927	1,874	53
626GA	Dover	1,553	1,512	41
626GG	Tullahoma	1,288	1,265	23
626QD	Murfreesboro	180	179	1

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration