CHILLICOTHE, Ohio — The Chillicothe VA Medical Center is receiving new federal funding to replace failed roofing, renovate for patient privacy and dignity, and upgrade its nurse call system, under a nationwide push to modernize veterans’ health care facilities.
The funding, approved for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, comes from a record $4.8 billion the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs spent nationwide this fiscal year through the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-recurring Maintenance program, according to the VA. The Chillicothe facility had already received funding earlier in the fiscal year.
Four projects are funded at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center in the fourth quarter: a privacy and dignity renovation, facility-wide replacement of failed roofing, an addition to Building 31’s sterile processing service, and an upgrade to the nurse call system, the VA said.
“This funding allows The Chillicothe VA to continue modernizing and improving, so our facility remains safe, efficient, and equipped to provide high-quality care for our Veterans in Ross County and surrounding areas,” Chillicothe VA Medical Center Director Kenneth Mortimer said in a statement.
The VA said it obligated all $4.8 billion available for the maintenance program in fiscal year 2026. Nationally, the fourth-quarter round of approved projects included $1.183 billion to repair and upgrade outdated infrastructure in medical facilities, $938 million for major building upgrades such as elevators, electrical systems and boiler plants, and $560 million to modernize facility infrastructure to support future electronic health record system updates, according to the agency.
The VA said the funding is one of several steps it has taken to expand services for veterans nationwide. Since Jan. 20, 2025, the agency said it has enrolled more than 300,000 new veterans in VA health care, opened 43 new VA health care facilities, and completed a record 82,083,918 direct care appointments in fiscal year 2025, a 4.1% increase over fiscal 2024. The VA also reported a record 59,989,662 community care appointments in fiscal 2025, up 12% from the previous year, and said it offered veterans more than 3.4 million appointments outside normal operating hours.
The information contained in this story was obtained from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
