SE Atlanta News

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508GG in Stockbridge, Georgia scheduled 7,796 pending appointments during the period ending April 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 7,729 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99.1%) and 67 appointments (0.9%) 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 who 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
508	Atlanta	69,609	65,171	4,438
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	31,132	27,416	3,716
508GA	Atlanta	16,051	14,557	1,494
508GE	Oakwood	10,109	9,910	199
508GH	Lawrenceville	9,827	9,607	220
508GK	Carrollton	8,065	7,404	661
508GG	Stockbridge	7,796	7,729	67
508GI	Newnan	6,334	6,266	68
508QE	Lawrenceville	3,890	3,838	52
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	3,424	3,348	76
508GF	Austell	3,281	3,254	27
508GJ	Blairsville	3,196	3,059	137
508GL	Rome	2,568	2,541	27
508QC	Atlanta	1,108	1,096	12
508QB	East Point	144	138	6

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration