More than 1,500 Capital Region veterans who used a Schenectady-area Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic face uncertainty about where they will receive care after its closure, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and local officials said.
At a Schenectady news conference, Gillibrand called on the VA to explain how it will maintain access to services and involve patients in its plans. The federal agency's account of the closure and its patient-transition arrangements was not included in the senator's release.
The clinic, described by local officials as the Schenectady VA clinic in Rotterdam, is the second VA community-based outpatient clinic to close in the Capital Region in five years. A Troy clinic closed in July 2021, according to Gillibrand's office.
Gillibrand said she asked VA Secretary Doug Collins in March to halt the Schenectady closure and explain how care would continue for the veterans who relied on the site. She sent another letter in August and said the agency has answered few of her questions even though the clinic has now closed.
Schenectady County Legislature Chairman Gary Hughes said some veterans are having difficulty arranging transportation to another clinic and do not know who will provide their care. Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy also called for a clear continuity-of-care plan for everyone affected.
Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara said VA records indicated costs and projected savings were part of the closure plan. That is his characterization of the records; the release did not provide the underlying VA documents or a savings figure. He said the agency should have paused the closure and heard from local veterans before acting.
Rotterdam Town Supervisor John Polimeni said he had requested meetings with VA staff and offered ways to keep services accessible locally. State Sen. Patricia Fahy urged the agency to reverse the closure, saying Schenectady County veterans should not have to travel farther for care.
Gillibrand's immediate request is for VA officials to provide answers and a plan that includes the veterans who used the clinic. The release did not identify a replacement site, a transportation program or a timetable for a fuller agency response.
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