BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — While resources and information were made available to veterans from around Kern County at the Bakersfield VA on Wednesday, the future of a new facility hangs in the balance.
- The Veteran's Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System held its Bakersfield Clinic Open House to provide an opportunity for area veterans to get information and resources they may have to travel for normally, right in their backyard.
- James Brannon, the site manager for the facility, said while the future of a new Bakersfield Facility is under litigation, he's unable to comment on any of the specifics, but he said he's excited about the prospect of it.
- Earlier this week, Congressmen David Valadao and Vince Fong held a round table in Bakersfield to address veterans' concerns surrounding issues like the facility and access to care.
- 23ABC spoke with Valadao and Kern County Veterans Services Director Jose Lopez, who both expressed frustration with the near-constant hurdles the project has faced and how long the process has been going on.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter in Bakersfield, the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System held its annual Bakersfield Open House Wednesday afternoon to allow veterans to access a variety of resources they might otherwise have to travel for.
However, as the open house went on, the circumstances of the building it's being held at and the future of a new approved building still hang in the balance.
James Brannon is the site manager for the VA Facility in Bakersfield and he said the annual event is a great opportunity for veterans because they're able to access a number of resources in one place that they would otherwise need to drive out to town to receive.
"It is the one opportunity that we hold annually that we have all three branches and administrations of the VA under one roof," said Brannon.
The event showcased resources not just from the VA, but also from community partners.
As far as the new VA, Brannon said he's excited about the prospect of it, but there's little he's able to add to the conversation because of pending litigation.
We reached out to the city of Bakersfield about the current state of the new VA Facility. A spokesperson for the city said, "The City is moving forward in the litigation process with this project. We have no further comment at this time."
The facility's fate has largely been debated and hung up in legal battles and is the only facility that has yet to be built after being approved over a decade ago.
However, earlier this week, Congressmen David Valadao and Vince Fong held a roundtable discussion in Bakersfield regarding veterans' concerns such as the new building and access to care.
Valadao said while the current state of the building is embroiled in a legal battle, it's an issue that many others in Washington are trying to get creative with to get a solution for veterans in the area.
"Veterans are frustrated, we're frustrated, the VA is frustrated. We're all doing everything possible we can to get things done and we're just trying to get as creative as possible to find a new route," said Valadao.
We also sat down with Jose Lopez, director of the Kern County Veterans Services Department, who said he believes he was still Active Duty when news of the new VA Facility in Bakersfield came out years ago. Lopez said throughout this process on both a professional and personal level it's frustrating to see how things have stalled and he hopes to see progress soon.
"Getting past the litigation, the roadblocks, the bureaucracy, whatever you want to call it. getting past that, I think is the hope," said Lopez. "It's very frustrating, it's frustrating on so many different levels because our local veterans deserve this new bright, shiny thing, so this new facility is long overdue. The people that we have serving us now are great and they also deserve a new facility to do what they do to provide all of the services that veterans require."
While there's no official timetable as of yet for the future of the new VA Facility here in Bakersfield, Brannon says if any veteran needs help with their care to reach out to them or any of the partner organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Disabled American Veterans Non-Profit.
In Bakersfield, I'm Sam Hoyle, your neighborhood reporter.
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