Sw Colorado News

The VA New Mexico Health Care System, subsidiary 501GJ in Durango, Colorado, scheduled 1,719 pending appointments during the period ending September 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,702 had a wait time of 30 days or less (99%) and 17 appointments (1%) 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
501	Albuquerque	51,567	43,379	8,188
501GM	Rio Rancho	3,787	3,279	508
501GK	Santa Fe	2,597	2,522	75
501GB	Farmington	2,183	2,041	142
501GJ	Durango	1,719	1,702	17
501GI	Alamogordo	1,453	1,397	56
501GD	Gallup	1,242	1,136	106
501G2	Las Vegas	1,073	1,067	6
501GA	Artesia	1,042	1,017	25
501GE	Espanola	856	467	389
501GH	Truth or Consequences	691	678	13
501GN	Taos	621	606	15
501GC	Silver City	261	243	18
501HB	Raton	44	44	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration