Upper Cumberland Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 15 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested an appointments but had not received one during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 174,432 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	50,595	45,289	5,306
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	46,140	40,890	5,250
Dover, TN	1,399	1,281	118
Bowling Green, KY	5,025	4,777	248
Clarksville, TN	13,394	12,471	923
Chattanooga, TN	15,390	14,780	610
Tullahoma, TN	1,320	1,287	33
Cookeville, TN	5,694	5,537	157
Hopkinsville, KY	4,243	3,903	340
McMinnville, TN	2,261	2,233	28
Roane County, TN	2,127	2,081	46
Maury County, TN	3,708	3,533	175
Athens, TN	2,076	2,021	55
International Plaza, TN	3,953	3,744	209
Gallatin, TN	1,685	1,671	14
Albion Street, TN	2,962	2,898	64
Charlotte Avenue, TN	5,684	5,564	120
Pointe Centre, TN	5,489	5,056	433
Glenis Drive, TN	425	395	30

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration