WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan, a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Jeanne Shaheen are pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to address urgent infrastructure failures at the Manchester VA Medical Center and prioritize building a full-service VA hospital in the state.

“We write to urge you to address the extremely concerning infrastructure failures at the Manchester Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center and other VA facilities in New Hampshire,” the Senators wrote. “The VA facility in Manchester continues to suffer from infrastructure-related problems that have significantly reduced its capacity to treat veterans. Last week, for example, water and heating concerns required patients in the Community Living Center to be relocated to other facilities and in-person appointments had to be cancelled. While we commend the staff at the facility for continuing to provide the best possible care to veterans, we urge you to prioritize improvements to this facility and a full-service VA hospital in New Hampshire. We also request that you brief us on your progress as soon as possible.”

The Senators also cited a number of other infrastructure failures in recent years, including two separate incidents in 2017 and 2022 where a burst water pipe forced the Medical Center to close its operating room for months.

“These are just some of the examples that highlight the ongoing problems and the critical need for modernized infrastructure at the current Manchester VA Medical Center, as well as the need for a full-service hospital in New Hampshire,” the Senators wrote.

Hassan is leading efforts to strengthen care for veterans in New Hampshire. Last year, she worked with a bipartisan group of her colleagues to end the Asset and Infrastructure Review (AIR) Commission process that threatened New Hampshire veterans’ care by recommending that the VA close clinics in Littleton and Conway, as well as move outpatient surgical care from the Manchester VA Medical Center to community providers. The Senator has also repeatedly pushed the VA Secretary on his plans to strengthen care for veterans in the state, including by building a full-service VA hospital.