Congressional committees approve reauthorization of leases for 18 VA medical facilities

In late July, the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs voted to approve updated authorizations for 18 Veterans Affairs (VA) major medical facility leases.

The VA committee was the final congressional committee’s approval needed to greenlight the leases, including one for a proposed outpatient clinic in Hampton Roads, Virginia.

“We’re very pleased that all four congressional committees have now approved these much-needed VA leases, including the proposed new outpatient clinic in Hampton Roads. This is a major step forward in expanding access to high-quality, convenient care for the more than 60 percent of Hampton VA Medical Center patients who live on the south side of the region. For years, we’ve pushed to get these kinds of facilities authorized and built, because we refuse to accept a system where veterans are stuck with long wait times or forced to travel hours for basic appointments. With this final vote, we are one step closer to ensuring these long-overdue facilities become a reality,” U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine of Virginia said in a joint statement.

Warner and Kaine said that with congressional approval, they will now push for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the General Services Administration (GSA) to award the leases, and ensure the projects get off the ground without delay.

“Our veterans have waited long enough,” Warner and Kaine said.

While the leases were originally authorized under the PACT Act, updated cost estimates and rent bids prompted the VA and the GSA to seek reauthorization from four congressional committees. With action by the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, the leases have now been reauthorized by all four needed committees: the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

Warner and Kaine have long fought to expand health care and benefits for Virginia’s nearly 700,000 veterans. They began raising the alarm about the significant backlog of unapproved VA leases in 2016. After putting significant pressure on officials across the federal government, Congress unanimously passed the Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act, which was written by Warner and supported by Kaine, to cut the backlog and get more than 24 delayed VA medical facilities’ leases approved.

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Warner, Kaine push senate committee to reauthorize 18 VA medical facility leases