WASHINGTON — New Hampshire’s congressional delegation is calling for the government to move forward on creating a full-service hospital for veterans in the Granite State, with the next step releasing the plans for how and when they will do so.
U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) along with U.S. Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and U.S. Rep. Maggie Goodlander (D-NH), of the House Armed Services Committee, in a statement want U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins to publicly share the department’s action plan to establish a full-service VA facility in New Hampshire.
The letter comes after the state’s congressional delegation met with the secretary at Manchester VA Medical Center in August for a briefing with medical center leaders about establishing the site.
New Hampshire does not have a full-service hospital for veterans.
“We owe veterans a debt of gratitude that can never be fully repaid for their sacrifices to keep our nation safe, secure, and free,” said Hassan. “This action plan is a much-needed step in establishing a full-service VA facility in New Hampshire and sharing it publicly will allow Granite State veterans and their families to provide input on the next steps.”
On May 9, President Trump issued Executive Order 14296, titled “Keeping Promises to Veterans and Establishing a National Center for Warrior Independence.” Section 5(b) of this order, which dealt with veterans’ health care, required that, within 180 days, Collins submit to the president “an action plan to expand services to support a full-service medical center in New Hampshire so that it is no longer the only state in the contiguous United States without such a center.”
— Staff report, The Berlin Sun
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