Sw Colorado News

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, subsidiary 554GF in Alamosa, Colorado, scheduled 556 pending appointments during the period ending July 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 556 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 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	34,560	30,463	4,097
554GE	Colorado Springs	16,893	15,169	1,724
554GD	Pueblo	8,130	7,872	258
554GC	Golden	6,406	6,053	353
554GB	Aurora	3,609	3,574	35
554GJ	Denver East 9th Avenue	1,431	1,384	47
554QB	Aurora	1,084	738	346
554GF	Alamosa	556	556	0
554GI	Burlington	396	389	7
554GG	La Junta	384	377	7
554GH	Lamar	287	285	2
554QC	Salida	61	61	0
554MA	IDES Fort Carson	35	35	0
554QA	York Street	4	4	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration