Hazard VA clinic expands, adds new services for veterans

Perry County veterans now have more care under one roof in Hazard, where the VA clinic expanded from 9,664 to 12,600 square feet and added primary care, outpatient mental health, telehealth, women’s health and physical therapy. The upgraded site also includes home-based primary care, expanded specialty care services, space for group sessions and room for veteran community events.

The Hazard VA Community Clinic marked the opening with a ribbon-cutting on May 15 at 11:30 a.m. at 160 Nautilus Drive. VA lists the clinic at 210 Black Gold Boulevard, Hazard, KY 41701, and says it serves Veterans in Hazard. For local veterans, that means more services are available in Hazard instead of requiring every visit to be handled elsewhere in the Lexington system.

Eastern Kentucky official Karen Kelly highlighted the new services available to veterans in Hazard and Prestonsburg as the region’s VA footprint continues to grow. The Lexington VA Health Care System said its community clinics include Somerset, Morehead, Berea and Hazard, and that it serves nearly 40,000 veterans across central and eastern Kentucky.

The Hazard expansion comes as the Department of Veterans Affairs pushes a broader infrastructure overhaul. Doug Collins said 36 new health care facilities opened during the second Trump administration, while VA said it has opened 35 new VA health care facilities since Jan. 20, 2025. VA also said it approved $596 million in infrastructure improvements in the second quarter of fiscal year 2026 and set its non-recurring maintenance budget at $4.8 billion for fiscal 2026, the largest in department history.

VA said more than 100,000 new veterans enrolled in VA health care by March 31, 2026, a sign that demand for access remains strong even as new space comes online. In Hazard, the clinic’s added exam rooms and group space are designed to keep more care local for veterans who live and work in Perry County and the surrounding hills.