Senator Hassan Discusses Upcoming Projects to Upgrade the Manchester VA Medical Center at Hearing with VA Secretary

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) this week received an update on upcoming projects to upgrade the Manchester VA Medical Center from Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Secretary Denis McDonough at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing.

To watch Senator Hassan’s hearing questions, click here.

Senator Hassan began by highlighting her continued push for the VA to build a full-service facility in New Hampshire, as well as the need for repairs to the Manchester VA Medical Center. “We have a really aging [VA] facility in Manchester. We have needed repairs and upgrades, […] and the services for New Hampshire veterans have been disrupted by issues such as flood damage from pipes that burst in 2022,” said Senator Hassan.

Senator Hassan highlighted the VA’s progress towards upgrading the Manchester facility, as the VA broke ground on a Women Veterans Health Clinic in Manchester last week, and emphasized that there is still much more work to be done. Senator Hassan asked Secretary McDonough for updates about the timeline for the new health clinic and other VA projects in New Hampshire.

Secretary McDonough said that the Women Veterans Health Clinic is scheduled to open in Fall 2025. The VA is also planning on renovating a lab suite and constructing a specialty care clinic, which will offer audiology and optometry services, at the Manchester VA Medical Center. The lab suite is scheduled to open in Spring 2025, and the specialty care clinic is scheduled to open in Fall 2026.

Senator Hassan has long led efforts to support New Hampshire veterans. Senator Hassan previously secured a commitment from the VA Secretary to publicly release plans for updates at the Manchester VA Medical Center. In 2022, Hassan helped develop and pass into law the bipartisan PACT Act, a historic bill that fundamentally reforms and improves how veterans exposed to toxic substances receive health care and benefits from the VA. Recently, the Department of Veterans Affairs expanded health care eligibility under the PACT Act. Now, millions of veterans – including veterans who served in the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Global War on Terror, or any other combat zone after 9/11, as well as veterans who served elsewhere and were exposed to toxic substances – are eligible to enroll in VA health care.

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