Rome Reporter

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508GL in Rome, Georgia scheduled 3,132 pending appointments during the period ending February 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,109 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.3%) and 23 appointments (0.7%) 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	87,403	80,462	6,941
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	40,034	35,060	4,974
508GA	Atlanta	19,875	18,389	1,486
508GE	Oakwood	11,444	11,180	264
508GH	Lawrenceville	11,000	10,876	124
508GG	Stockbridge	9,192	9,142	50
508GK	Carrollton	8,899	8,198	701
508GI	Newnan	7,187	7,136	51
508QE	Lawrenceville	4,495	4,471	24
508GF	Austell	3,890	3,881	9
508GJ	Blairsville	3,867	3,788	79
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	3,814	3,703	111
508GL	Rome	3,132	3,109	23
508QC	Atlanta	2,235	2,225	10
508QB	East Point	448	427	21
508QD	East Point	111	106	5

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration