Central Wyoming News

The Cheyenne VA Medical Center, subsidiary 442QA in Rawlins, Wyoming scheduled 146 pending appointments during the period ending November 1, according to data collected from the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Of the total number of appointments, 142 had a wait time of 30 days or less (97.3%) and four appointments (2.7%) 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	11,166	10,414	752
442GD	Loveland	5,778	5,209	569
442GC	Fort Collins	2,590	2,491	99
442GB	Sidney	220	201	19
442QD	Laramie	185	180	5
442QE	Sterling	150	142	8
442QA	Rawlins	146	142	4
442QB	Torrington	102	93	9
442HK	Wheatland	58	58	0

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration