Emerald Coast Times

The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, subsidiary 520GC in Eglin AFB, Florida, scheduled 7,233 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 6,796 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94%) and 437 appointments (6%) 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
520	Biloxi	29,883	25,693	4,190
520BZ	Pensacola	27,214	24,915	2,299
520GA	Mobile	11,181	10,296	885
520GC	Eglin AFB	7,233	6,796	437
520GB	Panama City Beach	4,626	4,507	119
520QA	Panama City Beach	1,298	1,261	37

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration