A plan to shut down the VA Castle Point Medical Center in Wappingers Falls has been killed in the U.S. Senate and the news is being welcomed by leaders of organizations serving veterans as well as local officials who had been opposing the proposed closure.
After U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer came out against action that was planned by the Department of Veterans Affairs as a result of recommendations from the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission (AIR Commission), the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee announced it will not support the plan either, effectively killing it. The commission”™s intent had been to make a number of changes to VA facilities and services in the Hudson Valley, including closing Castle Point.
Schumer explained that the whole issue arose in 2018 when Congress passed and then-President Donald Trump signed into law the VA Mission Act, which required many changes to be made in health care services for veterans. The law also included a requirement for the VA to begin making changes to its facilities including expansions, relocations, closures or changes in services. The AIR Commission was charged with giving its approval or rejection for specific proposals.
This past March, the AIR Commission released preliminary recommendations, which included the closure of the Castle Point VA Medical Center and relocation of inpatient medical and urgent care services for the veterans who currently use the facility. Castle Point VAMC currently serves more than 7,000 veterans within a community of nearly 40,000 veterans in Orange, Dutchess, and Ulster counties. More than 52% of the veterans are senior citizens.
On June 27, Sen. Jon Tester, chairman of the Senate Veterans”™ Affairs Committee, along with committee members Sen. Joe Manchin, Sen. Mike Rounds, Sen. Martin Heinrich, Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, Sen. Maggie Hassan, Sen. John Thune, Sen. Sherrod Brown, Sen. Patty Murray, Sen. Steve Daines, Sen. Ben Ray Luján and Sen. Rob Portman released a joint statement announcing their collective opposition to the AIR Commission process moving forward, which effectively puts the commission out of business.
“As Senators, we share a commitment to expanding and strengthening modern VA infrastructure in a way that upholds our obligations to America”™s veterans,” the joint statement said. “We believe the recommendations put forth to the AIR Commission are not reflective of that goal, and would put veterans in both rural and urban areas at a disadvantage, which is why we are announcing that this process does not have our support and will not move forward. The Commission is not necessary for our continued push to invest in VA health infrastructure, and together we remain dedicated to providing the Department with the resources and tools it needs to continue delivering quality care and earned services to veterans in 21st century facilities ”” now and into the future.”
“When I stood with our Hudson Valley vets, I promised them I would not let this plan, to rip away local treatment without consulting local leaders and no interim care plan, become a reality. I am proud to say a promise made is now a promise kept,” Schumer said. “We must invest further in bolstering the veteran health care facilities in the Hudson Valley, not strip them away, and the previous plan missed the mark in ensuring the needs of our Mid-Hudson vets came first. Our veterans fought for us and that”™s why I will always fight for them to ensure our veterans in the Hudson Valley and across New York receive the top-notch high-quality local care that they earned and deserve.”
Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan called retaining the Castle Point Medical Center a huge win for the Hudson Valley, and for veterans and their families across the nation. Ryan is a West Point graduate and combat veteran.
“The outcry from veterans and residents on the ground helped end a proposal that was simply unacceptable,” Ryan said. “However, the fight is not over. Now we must push even harder for real investments to strengthen our regional VA services.”
Ryan said that he”™ll use his position as county executive to advocate for veterans so that they receive the care that they need and deserve.
Ulster County has more than 11,000 veterans who currently receive VA services at Albany Stratton Veteran Affairs Medical Center or at Castle Point. The Ulster County Veteran Services Agency transports thousands of veterans annually to both of the locations.
In a joint statement, Kevin Keaveny, executive director of the Hudson Valley National Center for Veteran Reintegration and Gavin Walters, director of Vet2Vet of Ulster County, said, “We are relieved to know the veteran community and their families”™ voices were heard; the closure of Castle Point would have been devastating to the Hudson Valley. This was not just a fight for a building, it was a fight for our mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters and, most importantly, our families. This unprecedented victory demonstrated that a community that stands together remains stronger together.”
I live in the Bronx and would never go back to the VA Hospital in Kingsbridge.
I rather drive to Wappengers falls and Montrose as the care in these hospitals are second to none.
As a senior disabled veteran I am very thankful for the senate taking care of my fellow veterans who seem to be forgotten under other regimes when it came to taking care of us who suffered from disabilities from the service.