NH Delegation Applauds VA Signing of Lease for New Cheshire County Outpatient Clinic to Expand Veterans’ Access to Health Care

Following advocacy from the New Hampshire Congressional delegation, Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) joined Senator Jeanne Shaheen (NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator Maggie Hassan (NH), and Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander (NH-02) in applauding the signing of a PACT Act lease by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will make West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, the home of a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC). This replaces the CBOCs in Keene and Brattleboro, Vermont. The announcement is a significant step toward expanding access to high-quality health care for veterans in the Granite State.

“I’m thrilled to welcome this new VA outpatient clinic to Cheshire County,” said Congressman Pappas, member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. “Every veteran across New Hampshire should be able to access the care they need close to home, whether through a VA medical center, our community-based outpatient clinics, or community care. I’ll always fight for our veterans to receive the best possible care, and to cut the red tape between them and the treatment they deserve.”

“It’s imperative that the men and women who sacrificed everything to defend and serve our nation have access to first rate health care when they need it – no matter where they live in our state,” said Senator Shaheen. “For a long time, the Monadnock region was a health care desert for veterans until we worked with the VA to open its first and only health care facility more than a decade ago. This announcement is a continuation of that years-long effort and a crucial step toward bringing more health care services to veterans in Cheshire County and the entire Monadnock region.”

“America’s veterans risked their lives to keep our country safe, secure, and free. We will never fully repay the debt we owe them, but we have an obligation to try each and every day,” said Senator Hassan. “This new outpatient clinic will help veterans in the Monadnock region access the health services they need closer to home. I will continue to work to help get our veterans access to the health care that they have earned and deserve.”

“We have a sacred obligation to the women and men who have served our country in uniform. Our veterans put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and it’s my mission in Congress to ensure that they have access to the services, benefits, and healthcare they have earned,” said Congresswoman Goodlander, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee. “This clinic will deliver quality care to these brave American heroes across the Monadnock Region and beyond, and I am proud to stand with our partners across New Hampshire to get our veterans the care they need.”

According to the VA, the clinic will increase clinical capacity and provide Veterans with more convenient and timely access to VA care, with construction and facility preparation expected to be completed by fall 2028, and the first patient is planned to be seen by spring 2029. The new lease will expand and modernize Primary Care space while rightsizing a state of the art, energy efficient facility that delivers integrated Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care, and Ancillary services, improving operational efficiency and the Veteran experience in the Keene, NH and Brattleboro, VT area. The project will lease 26,603 net usable square feet (NUSF) of replacement outpatient clinic space in the vicinity of West Chesterfield, NH, with 150 parking spaces, in support of the White River Junction VA Health Care System.

Last year Congressman Pappas led the New Hampshire delegation in introducing the Veterans Full-Service Care and Access Act, legislation that would require the VA to operate at least one full-service Veterans Health Administration hospital in each of the 48 contiguous states. In 2022 Pappas fought back against and stopped a Biden administration plan to close Community-Based Outpatient Clinics in Conway, Somersworth, and Portsmouth. Thanks to Pappas's advocacy, these clinics remain open today. In the same year, Pappas fought to pass the PACT Act as a member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, which expanded VA health care to millions of veterans exposed to toxic substances like burn pits and Agent Orange. Since the PACT Act became law, the Department of Veterans Affairs has received more than 12,000 claims from New Hampshire veterans.