Sumter Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System, subsidiary 573GI in The Villages, Florida, scheduled 23,783 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 22,619 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95.1%) and 1,164 appointments (4.9%) 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	49,099	44,303	4,796
573BY	Jacksonville	31,816	28,821	2,995
573GI	The Villages	23,783	22,619	1,164
573GF	Tallahassee	19,849	18,001	1,848
573A4	Lake City	12,456	11,232	1,224
573QG	Jacksonville Southpoint	10,843	10,141	702
573GD	Ocala	8,362	8,222	140
573GE	Saint Augustine	7,762	7,557	205
573QJ	Jacksonville	7,334	6,672	662
573QD	Gainesville	4,738	4,379	359
573GA	Valdosta	4,270	4,236	34
573QK	Lake City	4,163	4,133	30
573QE	Gainesville	3,689	3,334	355
573QH	Ocala	2,765	2,754	11
573GM	Waycross	2,736	2,702	34
573GJ	St. Marys	2,689	2,626	63
573GL	Palatka	2,585	2,566	19
573GK	Marianna	2,114	2,080	34
573QB	Gainesville 2-98th Street	1,108	980	128
573GN	Perry	555	555	0
573QC	Gainesville	149	109	40
573QA	Gainesville 1-16th Street	53	51	2
573QF	Gainesville	17	14	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration