Hamilton Reporter

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GF in Chattanooga, Tennessee, scheduled 15,063 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 14,453 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96%) and 610 appointments (4.1%) 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	48,650	43,433	5,217
626A4	Murfreesboro	44,337	38,763	5,574
626GF	Chattanooga	15,063	14,453	610
626GE	Clarksville	12,596	11,837	759
626GH	Cookeville	5,548	5,414	134
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	5,540	5,407	133
626QC	Chattanooga	5,227	4,818	409
626GC	Bowling Green	4,877	4,680	197
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,283	3,910	373
626GO	International Plaza	3,908	3,730	178
626GM	Columbia	3,539	3,361	178
626QA	Albion Street	2,899	2,834	65
626GL	Harriman	2,155	2,097	58
626GK	McMinnville	2,106	2,085	21
626GN	Athens	2,021	1,971	50
626GP	Gallatin	1,618	1,606	12
626GA	Dover	1,470	1,374	96
626GG	Tullahoma	1,302	1,269	33
626QD	Murfreesboro	262	249	13

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration