Sumter Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System, subsidiary 573GI in The Villages, Florida, scheduled 21,153 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 19,920 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.2%) and 1,233 appointments (5.8%) 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 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
573	Gainesville	46,586	42,952	3,634
573BY	Jacksonville	29,764	27,437	2,327
573GI	The Villages	21,153	19,920	1,233
573GF	Tallahassee	18,518	17,184	1,334
573A4	Lake City	11,137	10,291	846
573QG	Jacksonville Southpoint	10,635	9,883	752
573GD	Ocala	8,466	8,297	169
573QJ	Jacksonville	8,311	7,771	540
573GE	Saint Augustine	6,843	6,638	205
573GA	Valdosta	4,152	4,116	36
573QK	Lake City	3,444	3,427	17
573QE	Gainesville	3,162	3,023	139
573QD	Gainesville	3,024	2,939	85
573QH	Ocala	2,792	2,779	13
573GM	Waycross	2,701	2,680	21
573GJ	St. Marys	2,647	2,604	43
573GL	Palatka	2,409	2,405	4
573GK	Marianna	2,002	1,974	28
573QB	Gainesville 2-98th Street	931	856	75
573GN	Perry	463	463	0
573QC	Gainesville	460	295	165
573QA	Gainesville 1-16th Street	42	42	0
573QF	Gainesville	23	15	8
573GG	Lecanto	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration