Central Colorado News

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, subsidiary 554QC in Salida, Colorado, scheduled 116 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, 98 had a wait time of 30 days or less (84.5%) and 18 appointments (15.5%) 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
554	Aurora	45,118	37,289	7,829
554GE	Colorado Springs	20,240	17,434	2,806
554GD	Pueblo	7,721	7,205	516
554GC	Golden	5,533	4,819	714
554QB	Aurora	4,415	3,802	613
554GB	Aurora	2,982	2,834	148
554GJ	Denver East 9th Avenue	976	906	70
554GF	Alamosa	572	554	18
554GH	Lamar	380	377	3
554GG	La Junta	365	343	22
554GI	Burlington	342	341	1
554QC	Salida	116	98	18
554QA	York Street	69	69	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration