WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) praised today's visit by Eric Shinseki, Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to the Chillicothe VA Medical Center. Sec. Shinseki, the first sitting Secretary to visit the center, toured the facility to view progress on projects funded by the Recovery Act. Construction contracts are currently underway for two of the projects, which employ more than 20 full-time workers. These Recovery Act projects will help the nearly 20,000 Veteran patients served by the Chillicothe VA Medical Center and its five community-based outpatient clinics.

"I want to thank the Secretary for his visit to the Chillicothe VA facility," said Brown. "The Secretary and I have spoken about the need for improved infrastructure at the medical center and better strategies for serving Ohio's rural veterans. The Recovery Act projects he toured today in Chillicothe are putting Ohioans to work and improving veterans' access to health care."

The Chillicothe VA Medical Center has eight projects slated for completion that were funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), with a combined budget of $8.3 million. The two projects which are in progress have a combined budget of $2.2 million, and will include repairs on approximately 1,200 feet of steam and condensate lines, installation of air conditioning, and renovation of the Therapeutic Exercise Gym.

Brown, a member of the U.S. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee, is the author of several legislative initiatives that would strengthen our nation's commitment to veterans by improving education reimbursements and expanding employment protection for former service members. Brown's Veterans Education Tuition Support (VETS) Act would foster new educational support for service members whose higher education is suspended due to service. In addition, Brown's Wounded Veteran Job Security Act would improve employment protections for veterans in their civilian careers.

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