Smoky Mountain Today

The Mountain Home VA Medical Center, subsidiary 621GI in Sevierville, Tennessee scheduled 5,004 pending appointments during the period ending April 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 4,856 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97%) and 148 appointments (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
621	Mountain Home	59,671	56,903	2,768
621BY	Knoxville	18,495	18,194	301
621GI	Sevierville	5,004	4,856	148
621GJ	Bristol	3,992	3,948	44
621GG	Morristown	2,773	2,754	19
621GC	Norton	2,143	2,134	9
621GA	Rogersville	1,917	1,908	9
621GK	LaFollette	1,807	1,788	19
621QE	Knoxville	841	838	3
621QD	Knoxville	791	782	9
621QB	Marion	453	445	8
621QA	Jonesville	449	442	7
621QC	Vansant	226	226	0
621BU	Mountain Home	84	84	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration