Washington, D.C. — Following advocacy from the New Hampshire Congressional delegation, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander, a member of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, alongside U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) applauded the signing of a PACT Act lease by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that will make West Chesterfield, New Hampshire, the home of a new Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC), replacing the CBOCs in Keene and Brattleboro, VT. The announcement is a significant step toward expanding access to high-quality health care for veterans in the Granite State. 

“We have a sacred obligation to the women and men who have served our country in uniform. Our veterans put their lives on the line to keep us safe, and it’s my mission in Congress to ensure that they have access to the services, benefits, and healthcare they have earned,” said Congresswoman Goodlander. “This clinic will deliver quality care to these brave American heroes across the Monadnock Region and beyond, and I am proud to stand with our partners across New Hampshire to get our veterans the care they need.”

“It’s imperative that the men and women who sacrificed everything to defend and serve our nation have access to first rate health care when they need it – no matter where they live in our state,” said Senator Shaheen. “For a long time, the Monadnock region was a health care desert for veterans until we worked with the VA to open its first and only health care facility more than a decade ago. This announcement is a continuation of that years-long effort and a crucial step toward bringing more health care services to veterans in Cheshire County and the entire Monadnock region.” 

“America’s veterans risked their lives to keep our country safe, secure, and free. We will never fully repay the debt we owe them, but we have an obligation to try each and every day,” said Senator Hassan. “This new outpatient clinic will help veterans in the Monadnock region access the health services they need closer to home. I will continue to work to help get our veterans access to the health care that they have earned and deserve.”

“I’m thrilled to welcome this new VA outpatient clinic to Cheshire County,” said Congressman Pappas, member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Ranking Member of the Economic Opportunity Subcommittee. “Every veteran across New Hampshire should be able to access the care they need close to home, whether through a VA medical center, our community-based outpatient clinics, or community care. I’ll always fight for our veterans to receive the best possible care and to cut the red tape between them and the treatment they deserve.”

According to the VA, the clinic will increase clinical capacity and provide Veterans with more convenient and timely access to VA care, with construction and facility preparation expected to be completed by fall 2028, and the first patient is planned to be seen by spring 2029. The new lease will expand and modernize Primary Care space while rightsizing a state of the art, energy efficient facility that delivers integrated Primary Care, Mental Health, Specialty Care, and Ancillary services, improving operational efficiency and the Veteran experience in the Keene, NH and Brattleboro, VT area. The project will lease 26,603 net usable square feet (NUSF) of replacement outpatient clinic space in the vicinity of West Chesterfield, NH, with 150 parking spaces, in support of the White River Junction VA Healthcare System. 

A former intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, Congresswoman Goodlander has made expanding access to care, benefits, and services for veterans a central part of her work in Congress.

• Goodlander joined the New Hampshire delegation in pressing the VA to take comprehensive steps toward enhancing VA care in New Hampshire, and successfully fought for House passage of a bipartisan amendment supporting funding for upgrades at the Manchester VA Medical Center.

• Goodlander helped usher the ACES Act into law, which requires the VA to study cancer incidence and mortality among military aviators and aircrew.

• She has fought to expand care for veterans exposed to toxic substances through the VET PFAS Act; strengthen mental-health care and suicide-prevention services; help assist veterans’ transition to civilian life; improve access to non-opioid pain treatment and dental care; and study neurological injuries associated with military aviation through the WINGS Act.

• Goodlander has worked to improve care and quality of life for disabled veterans, including by leading the bipartisan ASSIST Act to expand access to medically necessary vehicle adaptations and supporting the Major Richard Star Act to ensure qualifying combat-injured veterans can receive both military retirement pay and veterans’ disability compensation. 

• Goodlander has also worked to protect veterans from disruptions in care by demanding answers from the VA on workforce losses and its plans to maintain care for New Hampshire veterans and by helping lead bipartisan action against predatory “claim sharks” targeting veterans’ benefits.

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