Larimer News

The Cheyenne VA Medical Center, subsidiary 442GD in Loveland, Colorado scheduled 4,516 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, 3,419 had a wait time of 30 days or less (75.7%) and 1,097 appointments (24.3%) 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 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
442	Cheyenne	8,785	7,143	1,642
442GD	Loveland	4,516	3,419	1,097
442GC	Fort Collins	1,952	1,733	219
442GB	Sidney	218	176	42
442QA	Rawlins	120	103	17
442QD	Laramie	117	73	44
442QE	Sterling	105	66	39
442QB	Torrington	92	62	30
442HK	Wheatland	58	48	10

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration