Warner, Kaine Urge Action To Authorize Delayed V-A Medical Leases Before The End Of The Year

Press Release

-- Today, Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) joined 16 of their Senate colleagues in sending a bipartisan letter urging Congressional leaders to authorize leases for 24 Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) medical facilities before the end of the 114th Congress. Congress has not authorized major medical facility leases since 2014, which are necessary to enable the department to deliver vital care and services to veterans in Virginia and across the country. Most of these leases have been pending congressional approval for more than a year.

"Veterans in each of these states deserve the timely and quality health care benefits they have earned through their service. As such, we ask that you work to include authorization for these leases in the December funding bill, or another appropriate vehicle, to be signed into law this year," the Senators wrote.

Under law, the Department of Veterans Affairs (V-A) must receive specific legislative authorization to lease medical facilities with average annual rental payments in excess of $1 million. However, Congress has not, through a regular process, recently authorized any V-A major medical facility leases, hampering the ability of the V-A to provide much-needed health care and services to veterans around the country. Among the leases that are pending is a 155,000 square foot outpatient facility in Hampton Roads, Va., which has one of the fastest-growing veterans populations in the country. Patient visits in Hampton Roads' service area increased by 30.5 percent from 2011 to September 2014, while the national average across the V-A system was 8.6 percent.

Full list of leases pending authorization include:

Ann Arbor, MI - Outpatient Clinic
Birmingham, AL - Outpatient Mental Health Clinic
Birmingham, AL - Outpatient Specialty Clinic
Boston, MA -- Research Space
Charleston, SC -- Research Space
Daytona Beach, FL - Outpatient Clinic
Denver, CO - Chief Business Office Purchased Care
Gainesville, FL - Outpatient Clinic
Hampton Roads, VA - Outpatient Clinic
Mission Bay, CA -- Research Space
Missoula, MT - Outpatient Clinic
Northern Colorado, CO - Outpatient Clinic
Ocala, FL - Outpatient Clinic
Oxnard, CA - Outpatient Clinic
Pike County, GA - Outpatient Clinic
Portland, ME - Outpatient Clinic
Raleigh, NC - Outpatient Clinic
Santa Rosa, CA - Outpatient Clinic
Jacksonville, FL -- Outpatient Clinic
Pontiac, MI -- Outpatient Clinic
Rochester, NY -- Outpatient Clinic
Tampa, FL -- Outpatient Clinic
Terre Haute, IN -- Outpatient Clinic

Other Senators who signed the letter are Sens. Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Burr (R-NC), Susan Collins (R-ME), Steve Daines (R-MT), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Angus King (I-ME), Ed Markey (D-MA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Jon Tester (D-MT), Thom Tillis (R-NC), and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

In September, Sens. Warner and Kaine introduced the Providing Veterans Overdue Care Act, which would authorize leases for medical facilities in 15 states.

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