Upper Cumberland Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 250 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending April 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 181,752 pending appointments across its 20 healthcare facilities.

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 or better to 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.

At a hearing before the House Veterans Affairs Committee after the report was released, Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, said new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains on its website that when veterans apply for benefits, they are assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups, with those who need immediate care due to service-related disabilities placed in higher priority groups. Veterans who don’t have service-connected disabilities and who earn a higher income are placed in the lower priority groups.

Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
Nashville, TN	51,583	47,152	4,431
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	46,272	42,803	3,469
Dover, TN	1,274	1,196	78
Bowling Green, KY	4,758	4,483	275
Clarksville, TN	13,023	12,053	970
Chattanooga, TN	18,097	17,348	749
Tullahoma, TN	1,276	1,263	13
Cookeville, TN	5,513	5,357	156
Hopkinsville, KY	4,764	4,289	475
McMinnville, TN	2,408	2,356	52
Roane County, TN	2,219	2,150	69
Maury County, TN	3,339	3,222	117
Athens, TN	2,400	2,297	103
International Plaza, TN	4,476	4,352	124
Gallatin, TN	2,012	1,951	61
IDES Fort Campbell	16	16	0
Albion Street, TN	3,565	3,295	270
Charlotte Avenue, TN	6,023	5,828	195
Pointe Centre, TN	6,221	5,373	848
Glenis Drive, TN	209	189	20

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration