West STL News

Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO), Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Chairman Mike Bost (R-IL), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO), Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R-MO), and Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-MO) have jointly sent a letter to Secretary of Veterans Affairs Denis McDonough. The letter urges the advancement of the Department of Veterans Affairs St. Louis bed tower replacement and clinical expansion project.

In her statement, Congresswoman Wagner emphasized the need for immediate action: “Missouri veterans have served our nation with honor, and they deserve world-class treatment from the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has held up the John Cochran construction project for too long, a shameful failure that has blocked our veterans from vital modernized medical facilities. I am calling on the VA to take immediate action, request funds for this project, and treat our veterans with the respect they have earned.”

Chairman Mike Bost also highlighted the prolonged wait faced by veterans in St. Louis and Metro East Illinois: “For far too long, St. Louis and Metro East Illinois veterans served by the John A. Cochran VA Hospital have been waiting for improved medical facilities. The VA has recognized for well over a decade that the hospital’s bed tower needs to be replaced and its clinical services need to be modernized. This project must be funded as a top priority – and it needs to happen now. As chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I will continue working with Rep. Wagner and my colleagues in Missouri to see that the Biden administration gets this project over the finish line. Our veterans deserve it.”

The letter further elaborates on these concerns: “St. Louis-area veterans, including those in Missouri as well as Southern Illinois, have been waiting too long for modernized medical facilities and it is past time to jumpstart this project. As you know, VA originally requested this construction project in 2010 and Congress authorized its design and planning. VA subsequently restructured the project, has acquired the necessary land and completed some site preparation. However, construction has not begun because the Department’s budget request has not adequately prioritized this modernization project for two years in a row….Your Strategic Capital Investment Planning process continues to rank the (St. Louis John J. Cochran Veterans Hospital) construction project as the highest priority, but the linkage to VA’s budget requests has broken down. This is unfortunate and has delayed completion of new facilities that St. Louis-area veterans deserve."

The lawmakers concluded their plea by requesting Secretary McDonough work with relevant committees to ensure timely completion of this critical infrastructure.

Read more about their appeal here.