Navigating VA Community Care Delays After the Colorado Springs Roundtable

Veterans Affairs Secretary Doug Collins and Rep. Jeff Crank joined local stakeholders for a roundtable in Colorado Springs on October 8 2026. The meeting at the Mt. Carmel Veterans Service Center focused on veteran concerns regarding timely access to medical care. Attendees specifically discussed ongoing problems with VA Community Care referrals and mental-health care access. Local health-care professionals detailed severe individual delays that contrasted with broader reports of systemwide improvements.

The Local Reality

The tension between national data and local reality complicates how veterans access necessary healthcare. Administrators frequently highlight high volumes of completed appointments across the larger system to demonstrate progress. However, individual patients often face significant administrative roadblocks when attempting to secure specialized treatments. These local roadblocks were a primary focus of the October discussion.

At the roundtable, hospital executive Ron Fitch stated that oncology referrals remain a significant problem in Colorado. Fitch serves as the president of UCHealth Pikes Peak Regional Hospital and Grandview Hospital. He reported that a couple of veterans died before receiving a radiation-oncology Request for Service. This account underscores the severe material impact that administrative delays can have on patient outcomes.

A Request for Service is the critical administrative step required to authorize specialized treatments outside the VA system. When this paperwork stalls, the entire treatment timeline is delayed regardless of local clinic capacity. While system averages might look promising on paper, individual routing failures can severely alter a veteran's health trajectory. This reality makes tracking the exact status of a referral an essential skill for patients.

Behavioral-health access was another area of serious concern raised during the October discussion. Mt. Carmel behavioral-health specialist Nikki Hamilton shared her observations from working directly with veterans in the community. She noted that some veterans were told to receive VA behavioral-health services before accessing community care. This internal requirement creates an additional layer of friction for those seeking immediate support.

Hamilton explained that this internal first step could result in waits of two or three months after the initial request. She also mentioned that some of these behavioral-health appointments were later rescheduled even farther out. These local accounts highlight why understanding the exact referral process is critical for veterans. Delays in behavioral health can disrupt a veteran's ability to maintain their daily routine, employment, and overall wellness.

Tracking the Data

The Colorado Springs meeting highlighted several statistics regarding the current state of VA healthcare and outside referrals. Secretary Collins reported that national community-care spending reached 50 billion dollars in the prior year. He noted this was a significant increase from about 36 billion dollars the year before. Collins also stated that Colorado alone saw 550 million dollars in community-care spending during that same period.

According to a report by Military.com, the VA completed nearly 60 million appointments with private health-care providers in the prior year. This record volume indicates a heavy reliance on outside providers to meet patient needs across the country. It also shows that the community care system is functioning at a massive scale once referrals are approved. The gap between completed appointments and timely initial referrals remains the central friction point for active personnel and veterans.

The Gazette reported that VA data showed initial mental-health appointment waits were down slightly nationwide. However, a separate Vet Voice Foundation report presented a distinctly different perspective on recent wait times. The Gazette noted the Vet Voice Foundation review tracked 21 VA hospitals from August 2025 through February 2026. That specific report found rising wait times at 71 percent of those tracked facilities.

This discrepancy between national averages and targeted facility tracking is vital for veterans to understand. A nationwide average might show slight improvement even while wait times at a local clinic steadily increase. This is why veterans cannot rely on national press releases to determine their individual access to care. Secretary Collins cautioned that wait times alone do not tell the whole story of veteran care access.

He pointed to other metrics that suggest an evolving approach to patient routing and care authorization. Collins shared that referrals under what he termed "Best Medical Interest" increased 15 percent in the prior year. This suggests that administrators are utilizing different pathways to authorize outside care when standard routes stall. Understanding these alternative pathways can be useful for veterans navigating complex health decisions.

Facility age is another major factor influencing the delivery of timely care to veterans. Collins characterized VA hospitals as averaging 65 years old. He noted this is about three times the average age of other hospitals in the United States. This aging infrastructure places physical limits on how much care can be delivered within traditional VA walls.

Clarifying Referral Rules

Navigating referral eligibility requires a clear understanding of specific access standards and eligibility rules. Military.com describes general access standards of 20 days for primary care and mental-health care. The standard wait time for specialized care is 28 days. Drive-time standards also apply when determining if a veteran qualifies for outside care.

Veterans should not rely on public facility averages to gauge their own eligibility for outside referrals. VA facility pages state clearly that average wait times do not determine community-care eligibility. Instead, eligibility is based on the actual wait time for the individual veteran's specific requested care. Knowing this distinction helps veterans advocate for their own veteran life healthcare needs with accurate information.

When dealing with a delayed referral, veterans and caregivers must ask specific questions to keep the process moving. You should ask your care team for the exact date of your initial request. You must also clarify exactly what specific service is being referred to the outside network. Knowing the exact date and service allows you to calculate whether the 20-day or 28-day standard has been breached.

It is also important to ask who currently owns the referral within the administrative system. Referrals can stall between the primary care provider, the authorization department, and the external clinic. Knowing exactly which department holds your paperwork allows you to direct your follow-up calls accurately. Ask your team what specific appointment date is actually available within the VA system.

If an offered appointment exceeds the access standards, ask directly if community care is an option. The roundtable did not produce a new formal escalation process for all veterans facing delays. However, Collins advised Hamilton to work with the hospital administrators present to examine specific delayed cases. This suggests that engaging directly with local hospital administrators can be a practical step for stalled referrals.

Clear communication with patient advocates remains essential for navigating the complex military health system. If you find yourself stuck in a prolonged wait, document every interaction with the scheduling department. Keep a record of the dates you called, the names of the representatives, and the information provided. Reviewing veteran lifestyle and healthcare Resources can help you prepare for these crucial conversations.

Future Infrastructure Plans

The discussion in Colorado Springs also touched on physical infrastructure improvements and long-term planning. Officials discussed the possible expansion of the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic. The proposed expansion would cover 20 adjacent acres atop Fillmore Hill. This local facility originally opened in 2014, according to The Gazette.

The potential expansion was even discussed in a separate 35-minute meeting earlier that same day. However, no approval or specific construction schedule was announced at the roundtable event. Collins mentioned the VA is currently considering alternatives for securing more space. Government construction projects require significant time, meaning administrative solutions must bridge the gap in the interim.

The focus on both administrative bottlenecks and physical space highlights the dual challenge of veteran healthcare. Finding immediate solutions for delayed referrals is just as critical as updating aging facilities. Administrators must find ways to authorize necessary care while long-term construction projects are debated and funded.

Will the eventual decisions regarding clinic expansions in Colorado Springs provide a practical blueprint for reducing referral bottlenecks nationwide?

Sources

1. Access to care at heart of meeting with va secretary collins
2. VA Hit a Record Nearly 60 Million Community Care Appointments. Doug Collins Says Wait Times Don't Tell the Whole Story.