U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner has introduced legislation to authorize the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to construct a VA hospital in Colorado Springs that would serve the large concentration of veterans in El Paso County.

“Our nation’s veterans deserve timely access to quality care, but I hear frequently from veterans in El Paso County about the need for additional access to services,” said Gardner in a statement. “As the veteran population in El Paso County continues to experience rapid growth, the need for additional health care resources will only increase.”

The 83,000 veterans in the county comprise slightly less than one-quarter of the statewide population of 375,746. In an Oct. 21 letter to VA Secretary Robert Wilkie, Gardner argued that a new facility would help alleviate wait times for the existing clinic.

“According to VA data, veterans seeking a primary care appointment at the PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic currently have to wait an average of 22 days before a new patient can be seen,” he wrote.

During a visit to the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in Aurora earlier this month, Wilkie claimed that a growth in the veteran population in Colorado merited additional resources. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, however, the number of veterans in the state has actually declined from 2010 to today. The Aurora facility, which opened in 2018, suffered from a $1 billion budget overrun and a five-year delay.

Wilkie noted that an Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission will soon review existing VA facilities and examine the future needs of the department. The result could be further investment or reallocation of existing dollars. 

Text of the legislation provided by Gardner’s office requires the secretaries of veterans affairs and defense to submit a feasibility assessment to Congress within 180 days of the bill’s enactment. Congress would have to appropriate funds for construction.

This story has been updated.