Rutherford Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 61 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 198,886 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	60,465	55,672	4,793
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	49,750	46,884	2,866
Dover, TN	1,365	1,235	130
Bowling Green, KY	4,878	4,719	159
Clarksville, TN	15,685	13,773	1,912
Chattanooga, TN	19,013	18,388	625
Tullahoma, TN	1,315	1,313	2
Cookeville, TN	5,333	5,196	137
Hopkinsville, KY	4,792	4,359	433
McMinnville, TN	2,526	2,508	18
Roane County, TN	2,295	2,228	67
Maury County, TN	4,356	4,282	74
Athens, TN	2,350	2,264	86
International Plaza, TN	4,765	4,663	102
Gallatin, TN	2,104	2,062	42
IDES Fort Campbell	325	325	0
Albion Street, TN	3,801	3,489	312
Charlotte Avenue, TN	6,493	6,269	224
Pointe Centre, TN	6,897	6,077	820
Glenis Drive, TN	272	267	5

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration