Department of Veterans Affairs
VA Space Planning Criteria (Chapter 204)
Washington, DC 20420
February 2007
1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE
A. This document outlines Space Planning Criteria for Chapter 204: Audiology and
Speech Pathology Service. It applies to all medical facilities at the Department of
Veterans Affairs (VA).
B. The Audiology and Speech Pathology Program provides identification, evaluation and
rehabilitation or consultation for both inpatients and outpatients with signs and
symptoms of disorders of hearing, speech, voice, language, cognition, balance and/or
swallowing. Space requirements are affected by the level of service provided by the
authorized Concept of Operations, projected workload, and the environments, e.g.,
medical center (primary, secondary or tertiary) or outpatient clinic, in which the
services are provided.
2
DEFINITIONS
A. Assistive Devices/Assistive Listening Devices: Assistive devices include, but are not
limited to, alarm systems, alarms clocks, doorbell amplifiers and signalers, telephone
amplifiers and signalers, and television amplifiers. Assistive listening devices include
personal amplifiers, FM systems, voice carry over phones (VCO), teletype devices
(TTY), and teletext devices for the deaf (TDD).
B. Audiology and Speech Pathology: Audiology and Speech Pathology is typically a
combined service or equivalent service-level department. Audiology and Speech-
language Pathology may be organizationally and physically separated.
C. Audiology: A clinical specialty involving the prevention, identification, evaluation, and
remediation, and treatment of hearing loss, tinnitus, and vestibular disorders.
D. Audiologist: A health care professional specializing in the prevention, identification,
evaluation, treatment, and remediation of auditory and vestibular disorders.
E. Clinic Stop: A clinic stop is one encounter of a patient with a health care provider.
Per these criteria, the clinic stop is the workload unit of measure for space planning.
One individual patient can have multiple clinic stops (encounters) in a single visit or in
one day.
F. CAT (Computer Aided Therapy): Computer aided therapy is the use of computers and
software to assist patients in achieving treatment goals or learning to use computers
and computer supported devices. Includes computer access training.
G. Concept of Operations: A user-developed guide to the functional operation of the VA
health care facility. It defines the function of the facility and the scope of clinical
services to be provided in the new or remodeled space.
H. Departmental Net to Gross (DNTG) Conversion Factor: A parameter, determined by
the VA for each space planning criteria chapter, used to convert the programmed Net
Square Foot (NSF) area to the Department Gross Square Foot (DGSF) area. The
DNTG Departmental Conversion Factor for Audiology and Speech Pathology is
1.55.
Audiology and Speech Pathology (Chapter 204): Page 204-2 of 14
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