The Sheridan Veterans Administration Medical Center is on U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman’s watch list.
On Thursday, Hageman visited the facility to review veteran care, facility conditions and the implementation of recent reforms aimed at improving outcomes for Wyoming veterans after receiving multiple concerning reports from vets who use the facility.
She was accompanied in the meeting by Republican staff members of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
“This was a very positive meeting,” Hageman said. “I believe it was a very positive conversation, a very forward-looking conversation.”
The Sheridan VA did not immediately respond to Cowboy State Daily’s request for comment.
‘Whistleblower Investigation’
Over the last few years, Hageman said she and her team have been keeping an eye on the facility to address a steady stream of concerns as part of what they describe as a “whistleblower investigation.”
Hageman said she’s had “numerous constituents reach out” who expressed “legitimate concerns around their treatment” there. One specific recurring complaint she heard about was timeliness of referrals and medical care.
“A lot of it really has to do with timeliness and being able to ensure our veterans (are) receiving the medical care in a timely manner,” she said.
Hageman also said she’s received complaints about specialty care at the facility, although she acknowledges Wyoming already struggles with this issue as a whole because of its rural nature.
“But we also need to make sure that we have the referrals done in a timely manner to the right people so that our veterans can get the care they need,” she said.
The purpose of the meeting, Hageman said, was to see how her office could help with the problems reported and provide better physical and psychological care to veterans.
“I’ve had concerns with the timeliness of care, community care, those sorts of things,” Hageman said.
Hageman told Cowboy State she found Thursday’s more than two-hour meeting with local VA leadership productive and expects real changes and solutions to happen that will improve veteran treatments in Wyoming.
“I think they were receptive to some of the information that we imparted,” she said. “It was really a roundtable discussion that allowed everyone to engage.”
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman visits with staff from the Sheridan Veterans Administration facility Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Courtesy Harriet Hageman) 
U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman visits with staff from the Sheridan Veterans Administration facility Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Courtesy Harriet Hageman)
The Other Side
President Donald Trump’s administration, which Hageman firmly supports, has plans to cut 80,000 VA jobs. Hageman said this is a result of the agency hiring tens of thousands of additional workers since the COVID-19 pandemic, which she argues has not improved the quality of care offered by staff.
She sees Secretary of the VA Doug Collins’ actions as prioritizing patient care and staffing over administration and bureaucracy.
“We’re going to be providing better care by having a revamping of the VA than we had before,” she said. “I welcome the changes that Doug Collins is making because I think that what he’s getting to is exactly what we discussed.”
Hageman said the complaints were lodged from a variety of sources to her at town halls and through reports made to her staff.
Sheridan resident Gail Symons, a veteran, said she’s skeptical of the reports being made as her father, brother and uncle all received exemplary care at the facility, and she’s never personally heard anything negative about the Sheridan VA.
Symons also said she met someone who moved to Sheridan specifically because of the high quality of care they received at the VA there while traveling through.
“I believe we have one of the best, efficient and most responsive VAs in the system,” she said. “There may be an incident, but that’s not a pattern.”
Symons believes that a few outspoken people do not represent the overall care offered at the Sheridan VA and questions whether the people that complained to Hageman filed a complaint with the health facility first.
“There is always a possibility there’s some legitimacy to them (complaints), but what tends to happen is one to two disgruntled people with big mouths and big bullhorns blow things out of proportion,” she said.
Hageman plans to hold follow-up meetings with Sheridan VA staff to make sure the changes being promised actually happen.
Leo Wolfson can be reached at leo@cowboystatedaily.com.
