Jonesboro Times

The Memphis VA Medical Center, subsidiary 614GB in Jonesboro, Arkansas, scheduled 3,024 pending appointments during the period ending December 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 2,948 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.5%) and 76 appointments (2.5%) 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
614	Memphis	44,058	39,184	4,874
614GF	Nonconnah Boulevard	8,076	7,544	532
614GA	Tupelo	5,166	5,080	86
614GE	Covington	4,072	4,054	18
614GB	Jonesboro	3,024	2,948	76
614GG	Jackson	2,463	2,419	44
614GC	Holly Springs	1,456	1,340	116
614GD	Savannah	1,296	1,269	27
614GI	Dyersburg	566	561	5
614GN	Helena-West Helena	431	427	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration