Three VA facilities are being shut down or restructured — and veterans enrolled at the affected sites have weeks, not months, to secure new care. VA Secretary Doug Collins confirmed the closures April 30 during a Senate hearing on the VA’s $488 billion fiscal year 2027 budget proposal.
The McMinnville, Tennessee community-based outpatient clinic closes May 31. The Schenectady, New York clinic on Altamont Avenue closes August 28. The Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia is not closing but has undergone an interim leadership overhaul following Inspector General findings of abusive management, staffing failures, and dangerously inconsistent patient care standards.
Importantly, the McMinnville and Schenectady clinics are privately run, contracted facilities — not VA-operated sites. Collins confirmed the VA cancelled the contracts for these clinics, stating “the VHA believes it has followed the law in cancelling contracts.” This is why no VA employees are affected by those two closures.
What Triggered the Closures
McMinnville and Schenectady were closed based on utilization and performance reviews. Augusta’s problems are separately and extensively documented. A March 25, 2026 OIG mental health inspection — report #24-00675-259 — issued 21 recommendations to Augusta leadership and VISN officials. An earlier draft OIG report found Augusta leaders fostered a “culture of fear,” retaliated against staff who raised concerns, and allowed medical supply shortages that directly affected patient safety. Two top Augusta officials were reassigned to Atlanta in March 2025. A new interim executive leadership team was installed March 24, 2026.
The VA has faced criticism for giving Congress no advance notice — Rep. Scott DesJarlais stated his office received zero warning before the public announcement of the McMinnville closure. The clinic serves more than 2,000 Middle Tennessee veterans and sits 75 miles southeast of Nashville.
Who Is Affected and Where They Go
Veterans receiving community care through McMinnville will find their nearest alternatives at VA facilities in Murfreesboro and Cookeville, both over an hour away for most affected veterans. Rep. DesJarlais’s district alone has 46,000 veterans.
Schenectady’s situation is different. The VA says more than 80% of the clinic’s roughly 1,500 annual patients already live closer to the Clifton Park VA Clinic, which is absorbing most of the patient load. The Clifton Park clinic includes two Patient Aligned Care Teams and will be able to provide more resources. Veterans can also transition to VA facilities in Fonda, Oneonta, and Albany, per VA Albany Healthcare System Executive Director Darlene DeLancey.
Augusta’s 50,000 enrolled veterans across 36 counties in eastern Georgia and western South Carolina should expect continued care disruptions during the leadership transition. Senator Jon Ossoff’s inquiry into patient safety risks at the facility dates to at least February 27, 2026, when he sent a formal letter following disturbing OIG reports from May and August 2025 about the Augusta VA.
Your Community Care Rights Under the MISSION Act
If the closure of your assigned clinic pushes your drive time past 30 minutes for primary care or mental health — or 60 minutes for specialty care — you qualify for community care under the MISSION Act. Wait time thresholds also apply: 20 days for primary care and mental health, 28 days for specialty care. If the VA can’t meet those benchmarks, you’re entitled to seek outside care.
Community care referrals run through the HealthShare Referral Manager (HSRM) system. Your VA will issue authorization via VA Form 10-10172, Community Care Provider-Request for Service. Optum Public Sector Solutions administers Regions 1–3, covering New York and Tennessee. TriWest covers Regions 4–5. If you need additional visits beyond your original authorization, your community provider must submit a new Request for Service to your local VA.
The Broader Staffing Picture
These closures aren’t happening in a vacuum. The VA’s workforce has contracted sharply — the department saw approximately 30,000 employees leave through attrition and voluntary separation in fiscal year 2025, and separately removed 26,000 unfilled vacant positions from its rolls entirely. A VA OIG staffing report from August 2025 found more than 4,400 severe staffing shortages across VHA facilities, a 50% increase year-over-year, with 94% of facilities reporting medical officer shortages and 79% reporting nursing shortages.
Collins told the Senate April 30 that the VA has opened 34 new clinics over the past year and that no VA employees are being removed as a result of these specific actions.
“For years, our veterans were going and being handed off, handed off, handed off, new doctors coming in all the time … a lot of time they were not showing up, we were having to then schedule them in other places.” — VA Secretary Doug Collins, April 30, 2026
What to Do Right Now
McMinnville veterans have until May 31. Call your VA patient advocate today to initiate a transfer of care and confirm your MISSION Act eligibility for community providers. Schenectady veterans have until August 28 but shouldn’t wait — Clifton Park capacity is finite. Augusta veterans should confirm their care team assignments have not changed under interim leadership and document any disruptions to treatment or test result communications, both of which were cited as active compliance failures by the OIG.
Watch for updates on VHA restructuring details announced in December 2025, which are being rolled out over 18 to 24 months. Community care contract renewals are also underway after several health plan agreements expired in 2026. Changes to your TPA or referral network are possible before year’s end.
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