Sw Colorado News

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, subsidiary 554GF in Alamosa, Colorado scheduled 573 pending appointments during the period ending May 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 573 had a wait time of 30 days or less.

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 who 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
554	Aurora	38,637	33,356	5,281
554GE	Colorado Springs	20,041	17,962	2,079
554GD	Pueblo	9,655	9,249	406
554GC	Golden	7,073	6,665	408
554GB	Aurora	3,908	3,834	74
554GJ	Denver East 9th Avenue	2,334	2,294	40
554QB	Aurora	1,266	860	406
554GF	Alamosa	573	573	0
554GG	La Junta	359	309	50
554GI	Burlington	238	228	10
554GH	Lamar	99	96	3
554QC	Salida	71	71	0
554QA	York Street	6	6	0
554MA	IDES Fort Carson	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration