CHESAPEAKE, Va. - Construction of a new Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic is underway off of Battlefield Boulevard in Chesapeake, but it took years to get to this point.
Now, Sen. Mark Warner (D-Virginia) is re-introducing a bill to help the VA streamline and modernize its projects. The Build, Utilize, Invest, Learn, and Deliver (BUILD) for Veterans Act of 2023 would require the VA to implement more concrete schedules in constructing projects.
"If they get authorized and appropriated by Congress, it shouldn't take six, seven, eight years to get them built," said Warner on Thursday.
The Chesapeake facility has been in the works for years, and Sen. Warner pushed the VA to take more action on its construction in 2016. It would provide more robust healthcare options for veterans living on the south side of Hampton Roads as opposed to having to drive to the Hampton VA Medical Center on the other side of the HRBT.
"I think it would be a step in the right direction," Warner said about the legislation.
Veterans' healthcare has gotten much more attention in recent years following long wait times for appointments at facilities across the country.
The wait time for a new patient seeking primary care at the Hampton VA Medical Center is currently 41 days, according to the VA's website.
Rep. Jen Kiggans (R-Virginia), a nurse practitioner, has now been named to the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and will have a say in these issues.
"Being able to provide good, quality healthcare that's accessible to our veteran population is going to be a focus of mine on Veterans Affairs," Kiggans told News 3 last week.
In the new year, the VA has also been expanding health coverage to hundreds of thousands of veterans exposed to toxic substances during their service. The department recently began processing all claims.
The department said it's been able to screen one million veterans for toxic exposures, so far.
