Cobb Reporter

The VA Atlanta Health Care System Georgia scheduled 212,056 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 199,099 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.89%) and 12,957 appointments (6.11%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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 cautioning 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.

Debra Draper, health care director at the GAO, told the House Veterans Affairs Committee new patients may actually wait up to 70 days for an appointment when they first enroll for benefits.

The VA explains 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 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
Atlanta, GA	84,875	78,551	6,324
Fort McPherson, GA	19,422	18,173	1,249
Oakwood, GA	10,804	10,553	251
Austell, GA	5,179	5,143	36
Stockbridge, GA	9,746	9,691	55
Lawrenceville, GA	10,209	10,074	135
Newnan, GA	7,488	7,460	28
Blairsville, GA	4,201	4,167	34
Carrollton, GA (Trinka Davis Village)	8,425	8,066	359
Rome, GA	2,999	2,956	43
Northeast Cobb County, GA	3,194	3,097	97
East Point, GA	502	488	14
Henderson Mill, GA	1,912	1,906	6
Fulton County, GA	129	123	6
Gwinnett County, GA	4,204	4,182	22
Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue, GA	38,767	34,469	4,298