Memphis Standard

The Memphis VA Medical Center, subsidiary 614 in Memphis, Tennessee, scheduled 45,609 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 42,094 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.3%) and 3,515 appointments (7.7%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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	45,609	42,094	3,515
614GF	Nonconnah Boulevard	7,723	7,022	701
614GA	Tupelo	4,993	4,876	117
614GE	Covington	3,975	3,957	18
614GG	Jackson	3,236	3,147	89
614GB	Jonesboro	2,583	2,554	29
614GC	Holly Springs	1,546	1,436	110
614GD	Savannah	1,232	1,213	19
614GI	Dyersburg	682	643	39
614GN	Helena-West Helena	334	330	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration