Larimer News

The Cheyenne VA Medical Center, subsidiary 442GC in Fort Collins, Colorado, scheduled 1,296 pending appointments during the period ending March 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 1,222 had a wait time of 30 days or less (94.3%) and 74 appointments (5.7%) were scheduled more than 30 days out.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in January 2019 reported 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.

However, the Government Accountability Office released a report in July 2019 cautinging 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 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
442	Cheyenne	12,089	10,166	1,923
442GD	Loveland	5,535	4,522	1,013
442GC	Fort Collins	1,296	1,222	74
442GB	Sidney	254	234	20
442QA	Rawlins	99	94	5
442QB	Torrington	43	40	3
442QB	Torrington	43	40	3
442QD	Laramie	28	27	1
442HK	Wheatland	20	18	2
442QE	Sterling	14	10	4

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration