Congressmen McNerney & Denham Request Full Review Of French Camp VA Project

Press Release

Today, Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Stockton) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) sent a letter to Eric Shinseki, secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs, requesting his personal intervention and a full review of the French Camp VA project.

"Central Valley veterans have waited far too long already for construction to begin in French Camp," said Reps. McNerney and Denham in a joint statement. "It is past time for this project to get underway, and that's why we're requesting that Sec. Shinseki intervene to ensure that French Camp tops the VA's priority list."

During briefings with VA staff in March of 2014, the two members of Congress learned that despite promises that the French Camp project would remain one of the VA's top ten priorities, it recently dropped from #10 to #19 on their list. The project will be shovel ready in 2015, earlier than several other projects higher on the list, and is necessary to meet the care standards the VA has set for itself which stipulate the length of commute veterans should have to undertake to receive care.

Reps. Denham and McNerney noted in their letter the fact that the project was approved as part of the VA's own Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services (CARES) initiative in 2004, but it has continued to be delayed despite demonstrated need and strong, bipartisan congressional support. In a joint town hall meeting last month, Reps. McNerney and Denham invited representatives from the VA on the local and national level to meet with Central Valley veterans and share an update on the project. Today's letter requests that the VA reevaluate the project and that proper credit be given to ensure it can be included in the President's FY16 Budget Proposal.

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