CHESTERFIELD, N.H. (MyKeeneNow) The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has finalized a lease for a new outpatient clinic in West Chesterfield, clearing the way for a larger facility intended to improve access to health care for veterans across the Monadnock Region and neighboring Vermont.

The new Community Based Outpatient Clinic will replace the existing VA clinics in Keene and Brattleboro. Federal officials say the project is designed to increase capacity, modernize services and provide veterans with more convenient access to care.

New Hampshire’s congressional delegation — U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with U.S. Reps. Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander — welcomed the announcement, saying it marks a major investment in health care for veterans in southwestern New Hampshire.

Shaheen said expanding VA services in the Monadnock Region has been a long-standing priority.

“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,” Shaheen said. “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.”

Hassan said the new clinic will help ensure veterans can receive care closer to where they live.

“This new outpatient clinic will help veterans in the Monadnock region access the health services they need closer to home,” Hassan said. “I will continue to work to help get our veterans access to the health care that they have earned and deserve.”

Pappas, who serves on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, called the lease an important step toward improving care for New Hampshire veterans.

“Every veteran across New Hampshire should be able to access the care they need close to home,” Pappas said. “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.”

Goodlander said the project reflects the nation’s commitment to those who have served in the military.

According to the VA, the new clinic will occupy approximately 26,600 square feet in the West Chesterfield area and include 150 parking spaces. The facility will support the White River Junction VA Health Care System and offer integrated primary care, mental health services, specialty care and other outpatient services in a modern, energy-efficient building.

Construction and facility preparation are expected to be completed by fall 2028, with the clinic scheduled to begin seeing patients in spring 2029.

The lease was made possible through funding authorized under the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, the 2022 law that expanded VA health care and benefits for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.

Shaheen noted she successfully pushed for the region’s first VA outreach clinic in Keene in 2011 and later helped pass the PACT Act. Pappas also highlighted his work to expand veterans’ health care, including helping pass the PACT Act and previously opposing efforts to close VA outpatient clinics in Conway, Somersworth and Portsmouth. He also introduced legislation last year that would require the VA to operate at least one full-service Veterans Health Administration hospital in every contiguous state.