VA and DOD partner to increase health care access for New York Veterans and service members

WASHINGTON — Today, the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense expanded their existing partnership to allow Veterans, soldiers, cadets, and other beneficiaries to receive care from the Keller Army Community Hospital (KACH) on the West Point Army Installation and at the VA Hudson Valley Health Care System.

Enrolled Veterans can now receive mammograms and orthopedic care from KACH providers and surgical services from VA surgeons at Keller Army Community Hospital. This partnership also expands access to specialty care, virtual traumatic brain injury care, and inpatient behavioral care for soldiers, cadets, and other beneficiaries at VA Hudson Valley Health Care System.

The partnership, which is the first of its kind in New York, is a key part of VA’s comprehensive strategy to modernize the VA health care system nationwide — including through partnerships with DOD. This is one of hundreds of partnerships across the country with DOD, including 14 near- and long-term projects to expand access to care for Veterans. Through this effort, VA is aggressively working to expand access to care for Veterans and address challenges associated with aging facilities.

“This partnership will help make sure that New York Veterans have access to world-class health care close to home,” said VA Under Secretary for Health Shereef Elnahal, M.D. “At a time when Veterans are signing up for VA care and using VA care at record rates, collaborations like this are critical — especially for Veterans who live in rural areas. By partnering with DOD, we can ensure that health care is accessible and convenient, sparing Veterans the burden of traveling long distances the care they deserve.”

“DOD and VA are teammates, each working to enhance health care delivery for our beneficiaries,” said Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Lester Martínez-López, M.D. “This partnership supports readiness by helping our medical professionals maintain their clinical readiness skills. It’s also an extension of our collective commitment to provide increased access to health care for those who have sacrificed so much for this country.”

With nine locations throughout Hudson Valley, New York, including hospitals in Montrose and Wappingers Falls, alongside seven community-based outpatient clinics, VA Hudson Valley Health Care System serves 24,000 Veterans annually in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Notably, 27% of the Veterans cared for by VA Hudson Valley Health Care System reside in rural or highly rural areas, underscoring the vital role these facilities play in reaching and supporting Veterans in diverse geographic regions. Moreover, this will help the 40% of Veterans from Orange County who reside in rural areas. In 2024, VA and DOD created a similar partnership in Fort Campbell, Kentucky and Tennessee to increase access to world-class care for approximately 3,000 Veterans. VA and DOD also partnered in Pensacola, Florida to increase access to world-class surgical care for approximately 37,000 Gulf Coast-area Veterans.

VA is aggressively working to bring new Veterans to VA, because VA is proven to be the best, most affordable health care in America for Veterans. In 2023, peer-reviewed studies showed that VA health care is better than or equal to non-VA health care; nearly 70% of VA hospitals received 4 or 5 stars in the annual CMS Hospital ratings, compared to just 41% of non-VA hospitals; VA hospitals outperformed non-VA hospitals in all 10 patient satisfaction metrics in Medicare’s latest survey of patients; and more than 91% of Veterans trust VA with their care. Over the past year, more than 400,000 Veterans have enrolled in VA care.

For more information on VA health care for Veterans in Hudson Valley, visit VA Hudson Valley Health Care System.