Clarksville Times

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System, subsidiary 626GA in Dover, Tennessee scheduled 1,375 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,312 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.4%) and 63 appointments (4.6%) 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	50,395	44,976	5,419
626A4	Murfreesboro	44,933	40,576	4,357
626GF	Chattanooga	16,805	16,003	802
626GE	Clarksville	12,432	11,543	889
626QC	Chattanooga	6,222	5,408	814
626QB	Charlotte Avenue	5,690	5,496	194
626GH	Cookeville	5,616	5,480	136
626GC	Bowling Green	4,836	4,595	241
626GJ	Hopkinsville	4,569	4,296	273
626GO	International Plaza	4,421	4,273	148
626QA	Albion Street	3,384	3,174	210
626GM	Columbia	3,380	3,256	124
626GK	McMinnville	2,292	2,231	61
626GL	Harriman	2,197	2,150	47
626GN	Athens	2,166	2,005	161
626GP	Gallatin	1,962	1,902	60
626GA	Dover	1,375	1,312	63
626GG	Tullahoma	1,346	1,330	16
626QD	Murfreesboro	164	152	12
626MA	IDES Fort Campbell	12	12	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration