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The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday began the years-long process of restructuring its nationwide health care network, an endeavor that will require the president and Congress to sign off before it could begin. The restructuring would mean the closures or consolidations of some medical facilities, likely provoking opposition from communities and members of Congress. Montana Democrat Jon Tester, chairman of the U.S. Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said Monday that “any effort to kneecap our veterans’ health care is a non-starter for me.” (Shutt, 3/14)

In a report released Monday, the VA said it would close medical centers in Massachusetts, New York and Ohio along with dozens of other facilities. At the same time, it wants to open hundreds of new points of care it said will improve access to primary care, mental health treatment and other specialty care for hundreds of thousands of veterans. (Brown and Rouan, 3/14)

The United States Veteran Administration released the official set of recommendations for the future of veteran care in South Dakota on Monday. The 84-paged report breaks down the care for the region, which includes South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Minnesota, Missouri and parts of Iowa. The entire report is two volumes and was provided to the Asset and Infrastructure Review Commission. (Todd, 3/14)

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-New Mexico, said the analysis done by the VA has flaws, including that it was based on data collected before the coronavirus pandemic put a strain on health care systems in New Mexico and elsewhere. He said many providers have disappeared over the last years, leaving a void. There are four clinics in New Mexico that are on the list, with three of them serving predominantly Native American and Hispanic populations in areas that are typically underserved. They are in Gallup, Las Vegas, Española and Raton. (Bryan, 3/14)

Richard Cieski for years received care at the veterans home in downstate LaSalle that his family recalled as “amazing.” The 89-year-old decorated Korean War Army veteran schmoozed with friends, participated in an array of activities and excelled in an environment even as he coped with escalating dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. “They had church. They had animals that came in. They had coffee and conversation. They had haircuts. Physical therapy. Everything. He was clean. His hair was combed. He had his room and it was clean,” a granddaughter, Lindsay Lamb of Lockport, said. “He was thriving in there until it happened.” (Pearson, 3/14)