Nashville Standard

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 40 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested appointments but had not received one during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

During that same time frame, the system scheduled 198,815 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	61,741	56,435	5,306
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	49,225	46,149	3,076
Dover, TN	1,896	1,884	12
Bowling Green, KY	4,888	4,748	140
Clarksville, TN	15,372	13,223	2,149
Chattanooga, TN	18,737	17,915	822
Tullahoma, TN	1,298	1,290	8
Cookeville, TN	5,834	5,736	98
Hopkinsville, KY	5,604	5,215	389
McMinnville, TN	2,194	2,163	31
Roane County, TN	1,761	1,723	38
Maury County, TN	4,343	4,270	73
Athens, TN	2,194	2,060	134
International Plaza, TN	4,641	4,446	195
Gallatin, TN	2,066	1,997	69
IDES Fort Campbell	68	68	0
Albion Street, TN	3,461	3,303	158
Charlotte Avenue, TN	6,353	6,264	89
Pointe Centre, TN	6,827	5,971	856
Glenis Drive, TN	312	280	32

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration