Rome Reporter

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508GL in Rome, Georgia scheduled 3,122 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,096 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.2%) and 26 appointments (0.8%) 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	87,391	80,711	6,680
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	40,210	35,282	4,928
508GA	Atlanta	19,638	17,900	1,738
508GE	Oakwood	11,518	11,230	288
508GH	Lawrenceville	10,860	10,714	146
508GK	Carrollton	9,068	8,382	686
508GG	Stockbridge	9,011	8,976	35
508GI	Newnan	7,139	7,100	39
508QE	Lawrenceville	4,432	4,392	40
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	4,094	3,970	124
508GF	Austell	3,986	3,973	13
508GJ	Blairsville	3,822	3,753	69
508GL	Rome	3,122	3,096	26
508QC	Atlanta	2,407	2,395	12
508QB	East Point	467	449	18
508QD	East Point	60	56	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration