Jonesboro Times

The Memphis VA Medical Center, subsidiary 614GB in Jonesboro, Arkansas scheduled 3,498 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 3,453 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.7%) and 45 appointments (1.3%) 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
614	Memphis	54,411	49,914	4,497
614GF	Nonconnah Boulevard	13,038	12,600	438
614GE	Covington	4,779	4,723	56
614GA	Tupelo	4,521	4,492	29
614GB	Jonesboro	3,498	3,453	45
614GG	Jackson	2,132	2,033	99
614GC	Holly Springs	1,471	1,470	1
614GD	Savannah	1,119	1,104	15
614GI	Dyersburg	875	821	54
614GN	Helena-West Helena	672	632	40

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration