Polk Times

The James A. Haley VA Hospital, subsidiary 673QC in Lakeland, Florida, scheduled 3,544 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, 3,367 had a wait time of 30 days or less (95%) and 177 appointments (5%) 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
673	Tampa	63,868	58,046	5,822
673QB	Forty Sixth Street South	28,194	25,255	2,939
673QJ	Tampa	26,924	25,601	1,323
673BZ	New Port Richey	18,445	18,307	138
673GG	Riverview	12,061	11,620	441
673GB	Lakeland	11,415	11,214	201
673GC	Brooksville	7,691	7,585	106
673QC	Lakeland	3,544	3,367	177
673GF	Zephyrhills	3,114	3,006	108
673QE	Highway Nineteen	3,045	2,887	158
673QH	Tampa	2,234	2,100	134
673QD	New Port Richey	948	933	15
673QA	Forty Sixth Street North	833	701	132
673QI	Zephyrhills	318	314	4
673QG	New Port Richey	120	120	0
673BV	Tampa	2	2	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration