Nature Coast Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 266,488 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 248,285 had a wait time of 30 days or less (93.17%) and 18,203 appointments (6.83%) 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)	59,322	54,731	4,591
Lake City, FL	17,037	15,505	1,532
Jacksonville 1, FL	43,412	38,075	5,337
Valdosta, GA	4,987	4,830	157
Ocala, FL	10,096	9,664	432
Saint Augustine, FL	9,521	9,334	187
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	27,689	26,433	1,256
Lecanto, FL	2	2	0
The Villages, FL	30,576	29,064	1,512
St. Marys, GA	3,833	3,727	106
Marianna, FL	2,943	2,934	9
Palatka, FL	3,348	3,300	48
Waycross, GA	3,226	3,184	42
Perry, FL	635	634	1
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL	70	70	0
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL	1,147	1,080	67
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL	1,641	1,077	564
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL	6,956	6,768	188
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL	4,615	4,451	164
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL	39	26	13
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL	14,172	13,054	1,118
Ocala West, FL	5,077	4,627	450
Jacksonville 2, FL	11,650	11,229	421
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL	4,494	4,486	8