ATL Standard

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508 in Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled 50,619 pending appointments during the period ending August 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 43,920 had a wait time of 30 days or less (86.8%) and 6,699 appointments (13.2%) 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 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	50,619	43,920	6,699
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	26,819	24,962	1,857
508GA	Atlanta	15,530	14,474	1,056
508GE	Oakwood	8,474	8,338	136
508GH	Lawrenceville	7,406	7,351	55
508GK	Carrollton	7,073	6,566	507
508GI	Newnan	5,814	5,766	48
508GG	Stockbridge	5,582	5,523	59
508QE	Lawrenceville	3,299	3,281	18
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	3,262	3,206	56
508GJ	Blairsville	3,014	2,915	99
508GF	Austell	2,955	2,798	157
508GL	Rome	1,943	1,877	66
508QC	Atlanta	1,431	1,402	29
508QD	East Point	18	18	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration