South Cumberland News

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 34 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested an appointments but had not received one during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 172,093 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	51,621	45,958	5,663
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	45,838	40,745	5,093
Dover, TN	1,307	1,231	76
Bowling Green, KY	4,921	4,699	222
Clarksville, TN	13,271	12,312	959
Chattanooga, TN	13,964	13,505	459
Tullahoma, TN	1,287	1,270	17
Cookeville, TN	5,508	5,366	142
Hopkinsville, KY	4,212	3,918	294
McMinnville, TN	2,249	2,228	21
Roane County, TN	2,107	2,069	38
Maury County, TN	3,671	3,516	155
Athens, TN	2,028	1,969	59
International Plaza, TN	4,002	3,772	230
Gallatin, TN	1,732	1,710	22
Albion Street, TN	2,627	2,607	20
Charlotte Avenue, TN	5,677	5,542	135
Pointe Centre, TN	4,932	4,548	384
Glenis Drive, TN	319	282	37

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration