Rome Reporter

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508GL in Rome, Georgia scheduled 3,319 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,277 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.7%) and 42 appointments (1.3%) 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
508	Atlanta	87,275	79,572	7,703
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	39,088	34,586	4,502
508GA	Atlanta	19,955	18,676	1,279
508GE	Oakwood	11,149	10,836	313
508GH	Lawrenceville	10,797	10,600	197
508GG	Stockbridge	9,649	9,591	58
508GK	Carrollton	8,784	8,102	682
508GI	Newnan	7,610	7,576	34
508GF	Austell	4,943	4,915	28
508QE	Lawrenceville	4,398	4,360	38
508GJ	Blairsville	3,986	3,926	60
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	3,504	3,425	79
508GL	Rome	3,319	3,277	42
508QC	Atlanta	1,543	1,534	9
508QB	East Point	430	415	15
508QD	East Point	95	95	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration