ATL Standard

The VA Atlanta Health Care System, subsidiary 508 in Atlanta, Georgia, scheduled 48,169 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 42,171 had a wait time of 30 days or less (87.6%) and 5,998 appointments (12.5%) 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	48,169	42,171	5,998
508QF	Atlanta North Arcadia Avenue	24,102	22,718	1,384
508GA	Atlanta	15,225	14,252	973
508GE	Oakwood	7,569	7,483	86
508GH	Lawrenceville	6,884	6,849	35
508GK	Carrollton	5,998	5,610	388
508GI	Newnan	5,574	5,546	28
508GG	Stockbridge	4,658	4,627	31
508QE	Lawrenceville	3,039	3,014	25
508GO	Northeast Cobb County	2,961	2,907	54
508GJ	Blairsville	2,784	2,710	74
508GF	Austell	2,391	2,297	94
508GL	Rome	1,755	1,712	43
508QC	Atlanta	1,408	1,363	45
508QD	East Point	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration