Rutherford Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626A4 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee scheduled 49,225 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 46,149 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.8%) and 3,076 appointments (6.3%) 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.

Tennessee Valley Health Care System Appointments Scheduled in August

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
626	Nashville	61,741	56,435	5,306
626A4	Murfreesboro	49,225	46,149	3,076
626GF	Chattanooga	18,737	17,915	822
626GE	Clarksville	15,372	13,223	2,149
626QC	Chattanooga	6,827	5,971	856
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	6,353	6,264	89
626GH	Cookeville	5,834	5,736	98
626GJ	Hopkinsville	5,604	5,215	389
626GC	Bowling Green	4,888	4,748	140
626GO	International Plaza	4,641	4,446	195
626GM	Columbia	4,343	4,270	73
626QA	Albion Street	3,461	3,303	158
626GN	Athens	2,194	2,060	134
626GK	McMinnville	2,194	2,163	31
626GP	Gallatin	2,066	1,997	69
626GA	Dover	1,896	1,884	12
626GL	Harriman	1,761	1,723	38
626GG	Tullahoma	1,298	1,290	8
626QD	Murfreesboro	312	280	32
626MA	IDES Fort Campbell	68	68	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration