VA’s New 135,000-Square-Foot Outpatient Clinic Will Serve More than 120K Veterans

The Department of Veterans Affairs is opening a new outpatient clinic in Sarasota, Fla.

The new 135,000-square-foot clinic announced Oct. 30 is the second VA initiative in Sarasota County and is projected to serve more than 120,000 veterans annually across Sarasota and Manatee counties.

“This future VA clinic serves as a symbol of our steadfast commitment to provide veterans nothing less than the care they deserve,” Bay Pines VA Medical Center Director David VanMeter said in a statement. “The needs of veterans are ever evolving, and at VA, it is our duty to ensure we stand ready to meet those needs.”

Military.com reached out to the VA for comment.

VA Outpatient Clinics Role in the U.S.

VA outpatient clinics are community-based facilities that provide essential medical care to veterans without requiring an overnight hospital stay. They offer routine services like primary care, mental health counseling, telehealth and prescription management closer to where veterans live.

The VA healthcare system operates 1,193 outpatient clinics across the U.S., acting as the primary frontline resource for more than 9.1 million enrolled veterans.

Since January 2025, the VA has officially confirmed that over 300,000 new veterans have enrolled in VA healthcare. They also confirmed that 43 new health care clinics have opened across 25 states.

The VA fully obligated $4.8 billion for Fiscal Year 2026 for nonrecurring facility maintenance and modernization for these projects.

Construction Plans for New Clinic

Construction workers will begin working on the new clinic in summer 2027, with an expected project completion by 2029.

The new two-story clinic will replace the existing Sarasota VA clinic and will be 12 miles away from it. The company CMI Cullinan JV LLC, will develop and own the facility, and the VA will lease it.

“Sarasota’s Veteran community has been waiting for a facility built around their needs, and this clinic delivers it—more specialty care, closer to home, in one location,” said Ginger Benz, president of government solutions & business strategy for Cullinan Properties.

Also in Sarasota County, the VA broke ground on a new clinic in North Port, which is projected to open in August 2027 and replace an existing VA clinic in Port Charlotte. This 28,000-square-foot clinic will serve more than 10,000 veterans annually.

In October, the VA broke ground on the Copperas Cove, Texas, facility. It is a multi-specialty hub slated for completion by 2029 and measures roughly 256,000 square feet.

“We look forward to enhancing the delivery of world-class care for the men and women we are privileged to serve,” VanMeter said.