Springs Times

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, subsidiary 554GE in Colorado Springs, Colorado, scheduled 15,669 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, 14,109 had a wait time of 30 days or less (90%) and 1,560 appointments (10%) 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
554	Aurora	37,446	32,112	5,334
554GE	Colorado Springs	15,669	14,109	1,560
554GD	Pueblo	8,023	7,756	267
554GC	Golden	6,610	6,130	480
554GB	Aurora	3,057	2,992	65
554QB	Aurora	1,278	918	360
554GJ	Denver East 9th Avenue	973	930	43
554GF	Alamosa	566	561	5
554GI	Burlington	462	459	3
554GG	La Junta	447	434	13
554GH	Lamar	358	341	17
554QC	Salida	63	54	9
554QA	York Street	1	1	0
554MA	IDES Fort Carson	1	1	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration