New Hampshire veterans will no longer have to travel to Vermont or Massachusetts for expanded hospital care.
The Department of Veterans Affairs says it has entered into a contract with Concord Hospital to provide acute care for veterans.
New Hampshire has been the only state that does not have a full-service VA hospital or comparable services through a military facility. Although there are more than 130,000 veterans living in New Hampshire, many have been forced to travel out of state to receive medical care.
Rep. Carol Shea-Porter introduced legislation requiring the VA to provide the same services to New Hampshire as veterans in other states. Rep. Paul Hodes co-sponsored the bill and Sen. Jeanne Shaheen sponsored a similar measure. All welcomed the news Monday.