SW Wyoming News

The Sheridan VA Medical Center, subsidiary 666QA in Afton, Wyoming, scheduled 361 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, 354 had a wait time of 30 days or less (98.1%) and seven appointments (1.9%) 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
666GB	Casper	3,022	2,998	24
666	Sheridan	2,839	2,639	200
666GF	Rock Springs	727	714	13
666GE	Gillette	474	451	23
666GE	Gillette	474	451	23
666GC	Riverton	428	407	21
666QA	Afton	361	354	7
666GD	Cody	306	284	22
666QB	Evanston	118	117	1
666QC	Worland	57	54	3

Source: U.S. Veteran's Administration