Pine Belt Times

The Montgomery VA Medical Center, subsidiary 586GD in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, scheduled 5,358 pending appointments during the period ending October 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 5,143 had a wait time of 30 days or less (96%) and 215 appointments (4%) 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
586	Jackson	38,521	35,527	2,994
586GD	Hattiesburg	5,358	5,143	215
586GB	Meridian	2,970	2,949	21
586GC	Greenville	1,957	1,951	6
586GA	Kosciusko	1,923	1,908	15
586GF	Columbus	1,867	1,843	24
586GG	McComb	1,455	1,451	4
586GE	Natchez	1,354	1,349	5
586QB	Dogwood View Parkway	737	688	49

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration