South Knoxville News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GL in Harriman, Tennessee scheduled 2,219 pending appointments during the period ending April 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,150 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96.9%) and 69 appointments (3.1%) 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.

Facility Code	Location	Total Appointments Scheduled	Appointments Scheduled 30 Days or Less	Appointments Scheduled More than 30 Days
626	Nashville	51,583	47,152	4,431
626A4	Murfreesboro	46,272	42,803	3,469
626GF	Chattanooga	18,097	17,348	749
626GE	Clarksville	13,023	12,053	970
626QC	Chattanooga	6,221	5,373	848
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	6,023	5,828	195
626GH	Cookeville	5,513	5,357	156
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,764	4,289	475
626GC	Bowling Green	4,758	4,483	275
626GO	International Plaza	4,476	4,352	124
626QA	Albion Street	3,565	3,295	270
626GM	Columbia	3,339	3,222	117
626GK	McMinnville	2,408	2,356	52
626GN	Athens	2,400	2,297	103
626GL	Harriman	2,219	2,150	69
626GP	Gallatin	2,012	1,951	61
626GG	Tullahoma	1,276	1,263	13
626GA	Dover	1,274	1,196	78
626QD	Murfreesboro	209	189	20
626MA	IDES Fort Campbell	16	16	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration