Washington – Today, Congressman Jerry McNerney (CA-09) and Congressman Jeff Denham (CA-10) sent the following letter to the Senators and House Members responsible for negotiating and finalizing legislation to fund the government for the remainder of FY16, urging them to adopt the funding levels established in the Senate- passed amendment to H.R. 2029 for Department of Veterans Affairs major construction projects. Maintaining these funding levels would provide the funding needed to construct the French Camp Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC).
“I applaud my colleagues in the Senate for passing a bipartisan Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations bill that will provide funding for the French Camp Clinic. Veterans in the Central Valley have waited for this much-needed project to break ground for too long. I have been a strong advocate for this essential project from the beginning, and I will continue working on a bipartisan basis until the French Camp project is funded so that our veterans can receive the health care services they’ve earned and deserve,” said Rep. McNerney.
“Valley veterans have waited for too many years now for the French Camp Clinic to open,” said Rep. Denham. “They shouldn’t have to suffer through day-long trips to the VA in Palo Alto for routine care when French Camp is ready to be built. This facility will serve an estimated 87,000 veterans, and I’m glad to see Senate appropriators allocating the funding level necessary to get construction underway.”
Rep. McNerney has been a strong advocate for securing the authorization and funding for the French Camp clinic, repeatedly calling for the financial resources to complete the project.
Full text of the letter:
November 19, 2015
The Honorable Thad Cochran Chairman
Senate Committee on Appropriations 5-128, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Hal Rodgers Chairman
House Committee on Appropriations H-305, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Barbara Mikulski Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Appropriations S-146A, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Nita Lowey
Ranking Member
House Committee on Appropriations 1016 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515
Dear Chairmen Cochran and Rodgers, and Ranking Members Mikulski and Lowey:
We write to request that as you negotiate and finalize legislation to fund the government for the remainder of FY16, you adopt the funding levels established in the November 10, 2015 Senate- passed amendment to H.R. 2029 for Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) major construction projects.
The funding level in this version of H.R. 2029 is consistent with the VA budget request for FY 2016 and will ensure that our veterans have access to state-of-the-art medical care and services that they deserve. In particular, this appropriation would fund many critical projects, including the construction of a new community based outpatient clinic (CBOC) located in French Camp, California. The French Camp CBOC will serve an estimated 87,000 veterans across a large geographic area that includes San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Calaveras, Tuolumne and Amador Counties, among others.
California’s Central Valley veterans face many challenges accessing the care they need from the VA, with hours of travel required for even routine appointments. Congress approved the Central Valley community based outpatient clinic and community living center in 2004 as part of the VA’s Capital Asset Realignment for Enhanced Services initiative. In 2010, Congress appropriated $55 million for land acquisition and to fund construction planning. This project is now ‘construction ready’ in every sense — and our Central Valley veterans are eager to see progress on a project promised to them in 2004.
Given the critical lack of adequate health care facilities for veterans in the Central Valley, we request that the funding levels for VA major construction projects in the Senate-passed amendment to H.R. 2029 are included in the FY 2016 omnibus spending package.
Thank you for your commitment to ensuring our veterans receive the highest level of care and for your consideration of this request.
Sincerely,
_____________________________ _____________________________
Jeff Denham Jerry McNerney
United States Representative United States Representative
Cc: Sen. Mark Kirk, Chairman, Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Sen. Jon Tester, Ranking Member Senate Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Rep. Charlie Dent, Chairman, House Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies; Rep. Sanford Bishop, Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies;
