Palm Coast Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 67,513 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 62,066 had a wait time of 30 days or less (91.93%) and 5,447 appointments (8.07%) 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)	19,098	17,595	1,503
Lake City, FL	5,522	5,226	296
Jacksonville 1, FL	8,822	7,542	1,280
Valdosta, GA	1,451	1,431	20
Ocala, FL	2,787	2,727	60
Saint Augustine, FL	2,249	2,148	101
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	8	8	0
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	5,906	5,400	506
The Villages, FL	6,717	6,165	552
St. Marys, GA	940	898	42
Marianna, FL	595	567	28
Palatka, FL	828	823	5
Waycross, GA	645	639	6
Perry, FL	202	202	0
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL	195	194	1
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL	486	450	36
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL	226	165	61
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL	985	845	140
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL	974	775	199
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL	17	13	4
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL	3,983	3,731	252
Ocala West, FL	938	934	4
Jacksonville 2, FL	2,209	1,900	309
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL	1	1	0
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL	997	985	12