Sumter Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 266,592 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 248,849 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.34%) and 17,743 appointments (6.66%) 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)	58,708	54,096	4,612
Lake City-South Marion Avenue, FL	18,397	16,907	1,490
Jacksonville 1, FL	42,362	37,071	5,291
Valdosta, GA	4,741	4,654	87
Ocala, FL	10,138	9,977	161
Saint Augustine, FL	8,483	8,315	168
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	25,819	25,142	677
Lecanto, FL	5,319	5,308	11
The Villages, FL	29,316	27,772	1,544
St. Marys, GA	4,580	4,374	206
Marianna, FL	2,911	2,891	20
Palatka, FL	3,459	3,420	39
Waycross, GA	3,211	3,130	81
Perry, FL	596	594	2
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL	53	53	0
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL	1,140	1,097	43
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL	1,610	1,275	335
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL	6,273	6,165	108
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL	4,789	4,227	562
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL	34	4	30
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL	14,559	13,588	971
Ocala West, FL	5,427	4,733	694
Jacksonville 2 University Boulevard, FL	11,046	10,454	592
Lake City-South West Commerce Drive, FL	3,621	3,602	19