VA official weighs benefits of South Hampton Roads facility

http://hamptonroads.com/2015/07/va-official-weighs-benefits-south-hampton-roads-facility

VA official weighs benefits of South Hampton Roads facility
By Dianna Cahn
The Virginian-Pilot
© July 11, 2015

HAMPTON

A proposed 150,000-square-foot VA health care center in South Hampton Roads would be a big help for veterans here, but the project needs to be funded, Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs Sloan Gibson said Friday after a tour of the Hampton hospital.

Gibson praised the Hampton VA for reducing patients' wait times and improving access to care. A facility in South Hampton Roads would boost that effort by drawing more of them to seek care here, he said.

"It will be a major, major enhancement to delivery of care for veterans," Gibson said.

But the project is in the hands of lawmakers who have faced off over defense spending in recent years. Gibson said the House and Senate have trimmed their VA budget proposals for the coming year. While the Obama administration is pushing for a fully funded VA request, "the honest answer is, I am not sure what the '16 budget is going to look like," Gibson told reporters after his tour.