VA wait times generate two dishonest genres: press releases where everything is improving, and outrage posts where nothing works. The data supports neither. Here’s what the tracking actually shows — the bad, the genuinely decent, and what it means if you’re the one waiting.
The standards everything is measured against
VA’s access standards: 20 days for primary care and mental health, 28 days for specialty care. Miss those (or the 30/60-minute drive standards) and eligible veterans can be referred to community care. Uniquely among U.S. health systems, VA publishes facility-level wait data daily — which is why we can have this conversation with numbers at all.
Where the system is failing its own test
- Primary care drift: average new-patient primary care waits ran about 20 days in 2017, over 33 by 2022, and 35.9 days across 21 tracked VA Medical Centers in recent Vet Voice Foundation monitoring — nearly double the standard, despite modest improvement within the study window.
- Mental health hot spots: Senate VA Committee minority staff, tracking VA’s own published data weekly through 2025, flagged clinics where new-patient mental health waits exceeded 100 days for most of the year, and several consistently above 50 days.
- Specialty pain points: July 2025 data showed new-patient GI waits near three months in Texas and Florida and over 100 days in Minnesota, Wyoming, and Colorado. Mental health averages ran 27–31 days in the highest-veteran-population states.
- Mixed recent trend: a Government Executive analysis of early FY2026 data across 134 medical centers found 42% of facility-specialty combinations getting slower versus 37% improving — progress in primary and pulmonary care, deterioration in most other tracked specialties.
The honest middle
Two things are simultaneously true. First: in some metros and specialties, VA outperforms the private sector — research has found VA-delivered care beating private-sector waits in cities like Los Angeles, Seattle, and Washington, and beating community care waits in most regions. Second: averages are irrelevant to the veteran at the specific clinic running 100+ days. Where you live decides your wait, which is why every strategy below starts with checking your own facility’s published numbers on VA’s Access to Care site.
What to do with your number
- Look it up. VA publishes your facility’s new-patient averages by specialty, updated daily.
- If it exceeds 20/28 days: invoke community care explicitly and in writing.
- If it’s a service-connected condition: open the parallel track — the Foreign Medical Program can pay for that care abroad, with direct billing possible at clinics willing to file. Colombian orthopedics and rehab at JCI-accredited hospitals is the use case we know best, because we build those relationships in person from Medellín.
- Whatever you choose, choose. The one strategy the data consistently punishes is passively holding your place in a queue nobody is managing on your behalf.
Want a human to walk you through it?
Send us your rated condition and what you’re waiting on. We’ll give you an honest read on FMP fit, the predetermination step, and which Medellín providers make sense — and if the answer is “this won’t be covered,” we’ll say exactly that. Operated in person from Medellín via Colombia Medical.
Check my FMP fitFrequently asked questions
Does VA really publish its wait times?
Yes - VA publishes facility-level wait-time data updated daily on its Access to Care site, and it's the only national U.S. health institution that does. Every number in this article traces to VA data or named independent tracking of it.
Are VA wait times worse than private-sector wait times?
It depends heavily on location and specialty. Studies have found VA faster than the private sector in several major metros and faster than VA community care in most regions - while specific facilities simultaneously run months behind standards. Check your own facility's numbers.
What's the fastest lever if my VA wait exceeds the standard?
Community care: cite the 20/28-day standard when the offered date exceeds it, and escalate through the patient advocate if refused. For service-connected conditions, the Foreign Medical Program is a parallel option with no preauthorization requirement.
Are these numbers current?
They reflect published tracking through mid-2026 (sources and dates below). Facility numbers move weekly - always verify your own facility on VA's Access to Care tool before acting.
Sources: Vet Voice Foundation — VA wait-time tracking (35.9-day average; 2017–present trend) · Senate VA Committee minority staff tracking (2025; 100+ day mental health waits) · Mission Roll Call (2025–26) — GI and mental health waits by state · Government Executive (Apr 2026) — FY2026 facility-level analysis · RAND testimony, Senate VA Committee (2022); JAMA 2019 VA vs. private-sector comparison. Informational only — not medical, legal, or benefits advice. Confirm coverage directly with VA before receiving or paying for care abroad.