SE Tennessee News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GN in Athens, Tennessee, scheduled 1,958 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,841 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94%) and 117 appointments (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 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	48,652	43,107	5,545
626A4	Murfreesboro	44,072	38,079	5,993
626GF	Chattanooga	15,492	14,636	856
626GE	Clarksville	12,693	11,885	808
626GH	Cookeville	5,708	5,571	137
626QC	Chattanooga	5,661	5,001	660
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	5,605	5,472	133
626GC	Bowling Green	4,866	4,630	236
626GO	International Plaza	4,236	4,065	171
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,160	3,908	252
626GM	Columbia	3,397	3,227	170
626QA	Albion Street	3,015	2,857	158
626GL	Harriman	2,305	2,244	61
626GK	McMinnville	2,058	2,041	17
626GN	Athens	1,958	1,841	117
626GP	Gallatin	1,881	1,850	31
626GA	Dover	1,597	1,546	51
626GG	Tullahoma	1,294	1,273	21
626QD	Murfreesboro	260	253	7

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration