WASHINGTON, D.C. — The House Committee on Veterans' Affairs has authorized $79.7 million to fund a new clinic for veterans in Hampton Roads.
Virginia Rep. Jen Kiggans, who serves on the aforementioned House committee, says she's "proud to have helped secure this investment" for the new community-based outpatient clinic (CBOC).
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This funding coincides with the PACT Act, which initially gave the VA the opportunity to lease a space in Hampton Roads. However, a specific site has yet to be chosen.
In a statement, the Hampton VA Clinic wrote that the "VA intends to award this project by the end of this fiscal year. Construction is scheduled for completion in 2028, and the center is expected to begin serving patients in the spring of 2029."
Kiggans' efforts to secure this funding was praised by the House VA Committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Bost.
"This clinic will generate a new source of jobs in the community and boost the local economy. But most importantly, it will significantly improve access to modern care, benefits, and services for the 76,824 veterans who call the Hampton Roads region home," he wrote.
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This wasn't the only action-item on Kiggans' list last week.
She also had a bill — dubbed the "VA Hospital Inventory Management System Act" — approved by the House VA Committee.
Kiggans' bill authorizes the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to develop or purchase a cloud-based information technology system. This effort aims to modernize the management of the VA's inventory.
In its current state, the bill seeks to authorize $50 million in funding for this initiative.
The bill being reported out of the House VA Committee is just its first hurdle. To become law, it still needs to go through rounds of voting in the House and Senate before it can head to President Trump's desk for approval.
