Sumter Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System, subsidiary 573GI in The Villages, Florida, scheduled 22,693 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 21,541 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.9%) and 1,152 appointments (5.1%) 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	45,471	41,693	3,778
573BY	Jacksonville	30,024	27,561	2,463
573GI	The Villages	22,693	21,541	1,152
573GF	Tallahassee	18,647	17,065	1,582
573A4	Lake City	11,019	10,116	903
573QG	Jacksonville Southpoint	9,863	9,244	619
573GD	Ocala	8,358	8,202	156
573QJ	Jacksonville	7,313	6,836	477
573GE	Saint Augustine	6,840	6,644	196
573QD	Gainesville	4,318	4,071	247
573GA	Valdosta	4,234	4,197	37
573QK	Lake City	3,910	3,883	27
573QE	Gainesville	3,408	3,202	206
573QH	Ocala	2,792	2,779	13
573GJ	St. Marys	2,655	2,587	68
573GM	Waycross	2,620	2,598	22
573GL	Palatka	2,311	2,301	10
573GK	Marianna	1,819	1,793	26
573QB	Gainesville 2-98th Street	1,014	901	113
573GN	Perry	498	498	0
573QC	Gainesville	174	110	64
573QA	Gainesville 1-16th Street	44	44	0
573QF	Gainesville	16	14	2
573GG	Lecanto	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration