SE Tennessee News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GN in Athens, Tennessee, scheduled 2,021 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, 1,932 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.6%) and 89 appointments (4.4%) 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	47,836	42,724	5,112
626A4	Murfreesboro	43,167	37,525	5,642
626GF	Chattanooga	15,086	14,411	675
626GE	Clarksville	12,302	11,584	718
626GH	Cookeville	5,583	5,453	130
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	5,543	5,399	144
626QC	Chattanooga	5,449	4,926	523
626GC	Bowling Green	4,774	4,619	155
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,113	3,804	309
626GO	International Plaza	4,043	3,860	183
626GM	Columbia	3,383	3,185	198
626QA	Albion Street	2,760	2,683	77
626GL	Harriman	2,167	2,118	49
626GN	Athens	2,021	1,932	89
626GK	McMinnville	2,001	1,980	21
626GP	Gallatin	1,707	1,691	16
626GA	Dover	1,556	1,477	79
626GG	Tullahoma	1,298	1,275	23
626QD	Murfreesboro	224	211	13

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration