Upper Cumberland Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GH in Cookeville, Tennessee scheduled 4,501 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 4,409 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98%) and 92 appointments (2%) 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 who 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	59,012	53,897	5,115
626A4	Murfreesboro	48,872	46,126	2,746
626GF	Chattanooga	18,927	17,714	1,213
626GE	Clarksville	14,402	12,257	2,145
626QC	Chattanooga	6,810	5,993	817
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	6,374	6,283	91
626GJ	Hopkinsville	5,302	5,105	197
626GC	Bowling Green	4,828	4,685	143
626GO	International Plaza	4,567	4,407	160
626GH	Cookeville	4,501	4,409	92
626GM	Columbia	4,186	4,098	88
626QA	Albion Street	3,672	3,405	267
626GK	McMinnville	2,315	2,293	22
626GN	Athens	2,127	2,036	91
626GL	Harriman	2,022	1,954	68
626GP	Gallatin	2,016	1,954	62
626GG	Tullahoma	1,297	1,276	21
626GA	Dover	1,276	1,248	28
626QD	Murfreesboro	300	290	10
626MA	IDES Fort Campbell	74	74	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration