Senate OKs seven new VA medical facilities for Florida
Florida veterans will have more medical centers at which to receive mental health and outpatient services after the U.S. Senate late Tuesday unanimously approved legislation authorizing seven new major VA medical facilities in the state.
The new Florida VA facilities will be located in Daytona Beach, Jacksonville, Ocala, Tampa, Lakeland and two in Gainesville, according to a press release issued by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, who sponsored the original language in the legislation authorizing the new facilities.
“We have a duty to care for the brave men and women who have served in our nation’s military,” Nelson said in a written statement. “Getting these seven new VA clinics opened here in Florida will make it easier for some of our veterans to access the care that they need.”
Florida’s veteran population ranks third in the nation, with an estimated 1.55 million vets in 2015, including 715,000 who were enrolled in the VA Healthcare System, according to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The legislation authorizing the new Florida facilities was included in a broader veterans’ health care bill, known as the VA Choice and Quality Employment Act of 2017. The measure, which was approved by the House of Representatives last week, now heads to the president’s desk.
The Florida VA medical facilities and the amounts authorized for each are:
Replacement outpatient clinic in Daytona Beach, not to exceed $12.2 million;
New outpatient clinic in Gainesville, not to exceed $7.9 million;
Outpatient mental health clinic in Gainesville, not to exceed $4.3 million;
Replacement outpatient clinic in Jacksonville, not to exceed $18.6 million;
Replacement outpatient clinic in Ocala, not to exceed $5 million;
Replacement mental health clinic in Tampa, not to exceed $13.4 million;
Replacement outpatient clinic in Lakeland/Tampa, not to exceed $10.8 million.
This story was originally published August 2, 2017 at 1:28 PM with the headline "Senate OKs seven new VA medical facilities for Florida."