Sumter Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 227,778 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 213,554 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.76%) and 14,224 appointments (6.24%) 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
Gainesville, FL (Malcom Randall)	53,736	49,157	4,579
Lake City, FL	15,034	13,749	1,285
Jacksonville 1, FL	36,754	33,234	3,520
Valdosta, GA	4,748	4,695	53
Ocala, FL	9,379	9,209	170
Saint Augustine, FL	8,704	8,546	158
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	22,061	20,918	1,143
The Villages, FL	27,399	26,227	1,172
St. Marys, GA	3,157	3,077	80
Marianna, FL	1,888	1,853	35
Palatka, FL	2,443	2,428	15
Waycross, GA	2,794	2,775	19
Perry, FL	620	620	0
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL	65	62	3
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL	889	838	51
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL	269	249	20
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL	5,289	5,066	223
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL	4,174	3,867	307
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL	16	14	2
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL	9,973	9,341	632
Ocala West, FL	2,596	2,589	7
Jacksonville 2, FL	7,690	7,137	553
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL	4,397	4,350	47