Emerald Coast Times

The VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, subsidiary 520GC in Eglin AFB, Florida, scheduled 6,948 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, 6,414 had a wait time of 30 days or less (92.3%) and 534 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
520	Biloxi	33,326	30,245	3,081
520BZ	Pensacola	33,146	30,035	3,111
520GA	Mobile	11,801	11,049	752
520GC	Eglin AFB	6,948	6,414	534
520GB	Panama City Beach	4,152	4,039	113
520QA	Panama City Beach	1,230	1,195	35

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration