Duval Times

The North Florida/South Georgia VA Health Care System Florida scheduled 205,787 pending appointments across its locations during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments 190,992 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.81%) and 14,795 appointments (7.19%) 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)	49,774	44,777	4,997
Lake City, FL	12,477	11,229	1,248
Jacksonville 1, FL	31,999	29,174	2,825
Valdosta, GA	4,330	4,295	35
Ocala, FL	8,302	8,174	128
Saint Augustine, FL	7,784	7,580	204
Tallahassee, FL (Sergeant Ernest I. "Boots" Thomas)	19,497	17,714	1,783
The Villages, FL	24,073	22,976	1,097
St. Marys, GA	2,751	2,702	49
Marianna, FL	2,296	2,256	40
Palatka, FL	2,630	2,609	21
Waycross, GA	2,685	2,648	37
Perry, FL	544	544	0
Gainesville 1-16th Street, FL	47	46	1
Gainesville 2-98th Street, FL	1,087	974	113
Gainesville 3-64th Street (C), FL	73	46	27
Gainesville 4-64th Street (O), FL	4,860	4,508	352
Gainesville 5-64th Street (D), FL	3,800	3,430	370
Gainesville 6-23rd Avenue, FL	15	12	3
Jacksonville Southpoint, FL	10,521	9,827	694
Ocala West, FL	2,714	2,702	12
Jacksonville 2, FL	7,194	6,522	672
Lake City Commerce Drive, FL	4,172	4,149	23