NC Georgia News

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508GI in Newnan, Georgia scheduled 7,497 pending appointments during the period ending January 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 7,438 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.2%) and 59 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	88,237	80,584	7,653
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	39,415	34,668	4,747
508GA	Atlanta	19,311	17,943	1,368
508GE	Oakwood	11,223	10,899	324
508GH	Lawrenceville	10,819	10,642	177
508GG	Stockbridge	9,520	9,428	92
508GK	Carrollton	8,891	8,091	800
508GI	Newnan	7,497	7,438	59
508GF	Austell	4,993	4,962	31
508QE	Lawrenceville	4,435	4,381	54
508GJ	Blairsville	3,877	3,813	64
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	3,637	3,524	113
508GL	Rome	3,255	3,210	45
508QC	Atlanta	2,146	2,128	18
508QB	East Point	448	420	28
508QD	East Point	141	137	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration