SE Tennessee News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GN in Athens, Tennessee, scheduled 2,075 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,949 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.9%) and 126 appointments (6.1%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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	56,544	50,712	5,832
626A4	Murfreesboro	47,862	43,368	4,494
626GF	Chattanooga	15,553	14,944	609
626GE	Clarksville	13,911	12,932	979
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	6,281	6,113	168
626GH	Cookeville	5,332	5,127	205
626GC	Bowling Green	4,840	4,357	483
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,532	4,246	286
626GO	International Plaza	4,305	4,140	165
626QC	Chattanooga	3,453	3,229	224
626GM	Columbia	3,060	2,958	102
626GK	McMinnville	2,244	2,225	19
626GL	Harriman	2,154	2,117	37
626GN	Athens	2,075	1,949	126
626GP	Gallatin	1,924	1,895	29
626QA	Albion Street	1,728	1,701	27
626GG	Tullahoma	1,219	1,212	7
626GA	Dover	1,205	1,166	39
626QD	Murfreesboro	339	319	20

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration