Bowling Green Today

The Tennessee Valley Health Care System reported that 20 patients newly enrolled in its benefits program requested 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 196,679 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	61,053	55,485	5,568
Murfreesboro, TN (Alvin C. York)	49,679	46,839	2,840
Dover, TN	1,192	1,190	2
Bowling Green, KY	4,934	4,792	142
Clarksville, TN	14,298	12,367	1,931
Chattanooga, TN	19,321	18,175	1,146
Tullahoma, TN	1,254	1,246	8
Cookeville, TN	4,227	4,092	135
Hopkinsville, KY	5,401	5,046	355
McMinnville, TN	2,365	2,352	13
Roane County, TN	2,080	1,999	81
Maury County, TN	4,280	4,203	77
Athens, TN	2,179	2,073	106
International Plaza, TN	4,751	4,534	217
Gallatin, TN	2,080	2,027	53
IDES Fort Campbell	275	275	0
Albion Street, TN	3,718	3,470	248
Charlotte Avenue, TN	6,448	6,318	130
Pointe Centre, TN	6,802	6,115	687
Glenis Drive, TN	342	321	21

Source: U.S. Veteran’s Administration