A new partnership between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense is expected to increase VA health care for veterans in both Tennessee and Kentucky.
The agreement, announced on Feb. 23, will allow veterans to receive care at the Fort Campbell VA Clinic inside the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital located on Fort Campbell, Kentucky.
The VA-DOD partnership enables veterans in Clarksville, Tennessee and the Fort Campbell region to receive primary and mental health care from VA clinicians.
“This partnership will help VA provide more access to care, more quickly to Tennessee and Kentucky veterans,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Dr. Shereef Elnahal in a statement.
The partnership is the first of its kind in Kentucky and the second in Tennessee and is a component of VA’s strategy to modernize its healthcare system nationwide – including through nationwide partnerships with DOD. It is one of hundreds of VA-DOD partnerships, including 14 near- and long-term projects to expand access to care for veterans.
“We are thrilled with the announcement of this new partnership with the VA,” said Assistant Defense Secretary for Health Affairs Dr. Lester Martinez-Lopez. “Not only does it provide increased opportunities to care for those who have sacrificed so much for this country, but it helps our medical professionals maintain their readiness skills. It is a win-win for all those involved. Plus, we are able to do this without impacting the quality and access to care for our traditional beneficiaries.”
The Fort Campbell and Clarksville areas have the largest and most rapidly growing veteran population in Tennessee, according to VA. Currently, Montgomery County has more than 21,000 veterans enrolled in VA health care and another 29,100 veterans are untethered and eligible for VA care. Women veterans account for 19% of veterans currently enrolled.
Through the PACT Act, VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System will establish three new outpatient clinics by fiscal year 2027 to further address the needs of nearly 94,000 veterans in Clarksville, Cookeville, and Nashville areas, who are eligible for PACT Act benefits and care.
VA and DOD will also collaborate to expand specialty access for veterans at Fort Campbell Army Installation, adding dental care, women’s health care, intensive care, and pain management under the partnership.
Earlier this year, VA and DOD formed a similar partnership in Pensacola, Florida to increase access to surgical care for approximately 37,000 Gulf Coast-area veterans.
In addition to expanding partnerships with DOD, VA has recently reached agreements with Stanford University to build a cutting-edge cancer and research center and with Penn Medicine to expand healthcare access in Southeastern Pennsylvania.
For more information on VA health care for veterans in Kentucky and Tennessee, visit here.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.