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Three Colorado lawmakers say the decision on whether to build a new Department of Veterans Affairs clinic in Fremont County is stuck at the regional level, while the agency countered it must complete a required needs assessment before committing to a new clinic.

The proposed clinic could serve 5,000 veterans across Fremont County and is "urgently" needed, according to a letter lawmakers released Tuesday. Colorado Sens. John Hickenlooper and Michael Bennet, and Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Lakewood, sent the letter to regional VA leadership in August. Pettersen also represents Fremont County.

"We urge you to expeditiously approve the construction request to better serve veterans in need of assistance," they wrote.

The funding for the new clinic was included on a VA priority list two years ago for fiscal year 2026, but it has not been approved by Rocky Mountain Veterans Integrated Service Network, also known as VISN 19, a region that includes portions of Colorado, Utah, Montana and Nevada, the letter said.

James Sheridan, the junior vice commander of VFW Post 2788 in Penrose, said the funding has been set aside for the clinic for two years and he would like to see the VA prioritize the new building.

Aging Vietnam veterans are the largest group in Fremont County area in need of a local clinic and a small group of World War II and Korean veterans also need medical care closer to their homes, Sheridan said.

Many of them are having trouble with the long drives to Pueblo or Colorado Springs.

“The veterans around this area are in dire need,” Sheridan said.

He believes the clinic would also serve veterans who live in other nearby rural counties such as Custer and Chaffee.

Primary care is the main need, Sheridan said. But he would also like to see additional services, such as physical therapy and mental health care.

A statement from the VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System and VISN 19 said that the agency cannot make any decision on a new building until an assessment required every four years is complete.

The agency has made investments in Colorado this year, opening clinics in Aurora and Castle Rock, the statement said.

In addition to the local expansions, the VA has also shed numerous jobs and the Trump administration aims to eliminate 30,000 positions by the end of September. The agency expected to reduce its workforce of about 484,000, in part, through programs put in place by the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and normal attrition.

Previously the agency planned to cut more than 80,000 positions, but that's been scaled back.

VA Secretary Doug Collins said his agency would not eliminate nurses, doctors or professionals that provide direct care.

A recently released VA dashboard shows the agency has seen a net loss of direct care positions through the fiscal year, including 1,720 registered nursing positions, 1,147 medical support assistant jobs and 77 psychologist openings.

But the VA Press Secretary Peter Kasperowicz told the Federal News Network the agency planned to fill those direct care positions.