South Knoxville News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 33 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 199,111 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	60,642	55,779	4,863
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	50,465	47,564	2,901
Dover, TN	1,295	1,191	104
Bowling Green, KY	4,925	4,783	142
Clarksville, TN	15,080	13,206	1,874
Chattanooga, TN	19,098	18,291	807
Tullahoma, TN	1,244	1,237	7
Cookeville, TN	4,929	4,763	166
Hopkinsville, KY	5,146	4,537	609
McMinnville, TN	2,517	2,502	15
Roane County, TN	2,315	2,248	67
Maury County, TN	4,359	4,285	74
Athens, TN	2,334	2,216	118
International Plaza, TN	4,810	4,676	134
Gallatin, TN	2,159	2,117	42
IDES Fort Campbell	213	213	0
Albion Street, TN	3,784	3,554	230
Charlotte Avenue, TN	6,535	6,303	232
Pointe Centre, TN	7,023	6,256	767
Glenis Drive, TN	238	235	3

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration