South Cumberland News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 94 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending June 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 171,601 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	48,476	42,796	5,680
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	44,347	39,339	5,008
Dover, TN	1,379	1,333	46
Bowling Green, KY	4,743	4,452	291
Clarksville, TN	12,352	11,394	958
Chattanooga, TN	16,220	15,338	882
Tullahoma, TN	1,281	1,260	21
Cookeville, TN	5,510	5,357	153
Hopkinsville, KY	4,566	4,366	200
McMinnville, TN	2,016	1,962	54
Roane County, TN	2,262	2,218	44
Maury County, TN	3,430	3,293	137
Athens, TN	2,149	1,991	158
International Plaza, TN	4,282	4,129	153
Gallatin, TN	1,861	1,811	50
IDES Fort Campbell	1	1	0
Albion Street, TN	2,989	2,851	138
Charlotte Avenue, TN	5,506	5,345	161
Pointe Centre, TN	5,893	5,111	782
Glenis Drive, TN	206	200	6

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration