Canadaigua VA Campus Gets $122 Million ina VA Budget Request, One of Four National Priorities - Schumer Vows to Fight to Include Funding in the Next Budget

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced that the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) has requested $122,400,000 for the Canandaigua VA Medical Campus in its annual budget request, making Canandaigua one of only four VA projects in the country to receive a request for funds for a major construction project. Now the request must be fulfilled by Congressional Appropriators. The $122 million request from the VA represents a substantial portion of Canandaigua's estimated $300 million redevelopment plan; which includes additional housing and services. Schumer, who will now fight to get these funds into the next budget, has been a longtime supporter of the Canandaigua VA Medical campus and projects like the Cadence Square housing development. If the funding is secured in the budget this year, construction can move forward on the project. Schumer explained that this budget request is great news for the facility because it means the redevelopment project is a top priority for the VA and the administration.

Schumer noted that the Canandaigua VA's major reconstruction project was announced in 2007, following the community and Schumer's successful effort in 2004 to convince the federal Capital Asset Realignment for Enhances Services (CARES) Commission to not only keep the VA Campus open, but to modernize it for future generations of veterans. To begin the redevelopment project, Schumer helped secure $36.58 million in FY10 to complete a new campus master plan, begin the project's preliminary design work, and complete environmental assessments. Last year, Schumer wrote VA Secretary Shinseki urging him to include funding for Canandaigua VA in their budget request.

"The VA budget request contains some great news for Rochester-Finger Lakes area veterans, the Canandaigua VA Medical Center's redevelopment plan is singled out as a national priority and designated to receive $122 million. We still need to fight to get these funds into the budget -- and I will fight tooth and nail to do so -- but this request is an important first step and means that the VA and the federal government is committed to the major redevelopment of the Canandaigua VA campus. Ten years ago, we were in the trenches fighting to keep this facility open, and once we were able to, we made a promise to make sure this campus adequately served the needs of the large veteran population in the Rochester-Finger Lakes region. This funding request is the first step in that promise to redevelop the campus into a top-quality facility that will last another 80 years and more," said Schumer.

The Center currently has 228 beds, 80 domicile beds, and 138 nursing beds that are often largely filled. Adding additional housing and services to the campus has been a priority in order to provide local veterans with a continuum of care. As such, in October 2012, Schumer secured a lease agreement to construct the Cadence Square housing facility for homeless veterans on the Canandaigua VA campus.

Schumer described the planned $370 million major reconstruction project that will help ensure the Canandaigua VA Campus remains state-of-the-art to meet the medical needs of our veterans. Specifically, the estimated $300 million major reconstruction project calls for the construction of six cottage-style nursing care housing units each with two 10-bed units, for a total of 120 beds for nursing, hospice, and geropsychiatric care. In addition, Building 9 will be redeveloped into a 50-bed inpatient rehabilitation facility, and Buildings 1,2,3, and 4 will be redeveloped for outpatient services, behavioral health services and administrative support departments. This proposal is for the construction of a new 120-bed Community Living Center (CLC), outpatient clinic, and a renovated 50-bed domiciliary facility along with complete renovation of several existing buildings for administrative/logistical services at the VA Medical Center in Canandaigua, New York. The funding requested in 2015 would construct an infill addition between Buildings 1 and 2 and renovation of buildings for the outpatient clinic.

Schumer highlighted the urgent need for the Canandaigua VA to receive the requisite funding to move forward with reconstruction so that the center can not only care for the region's aging veterans population, but also help reduce the staggering prevalence of homelessness and addiction among the nation's recently returning veterans.

The Canandaigua VA Medical Center has provided services for veterans in Rochester and throughout the Finger Lakes region since 1933, and celebrated their 80th anniversary in February 2013. Designated as a VA Center for Excellence, the Canandaigua facility specializes in research and education of mental health issues in addition to housing the national VA Suicide Prevention/Crisis Hotline call center which has fielded approximately 600,000 calls since it opened in 2007. The campus is also the only one in New York State and one of only 20 in the country that offers the Veterans Integration to Academic Leadership (VITAL) program to afford veterans the opportunity to fully access their benefits. With a large number of veterans returning home only to struggle with mental illness and substance abuse, the Canandaigua VA plays an essential role in ensuring the health and prosperity of our veterans.

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