VA Picks Copperas Cove for New Outpatient Clinic Serving Fort Hood Area

Copperas Cove was announced as the site for a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs outpatient clinic at a news conference led by U.S. Rep. John Carter at Central Texas College on Feb. 13, 2026. Officials said the clinic will sit in The Narrows Business & Technology Park on Robert Griffin III Boulevard, sit roughly five miles from Fort Hood, and be intended to serve a regional veteran population approaching 200,000 while creating about 500 jobs.

Officials and local leaders gave differing technical details about the building’s size at the announcement. Rep. Carter’s office and a city announcement graphic described the facility as roughly 190,000 square feet, while KWTX and Mayor Dan Yancey described a building in excess of 240,000 square feet; KDHnews noted earlier VA communications had once referenced 250,000 square feet and compared the expected size to Seton Medical Center’s 192,400 square feet. City and congressional materials emphasized the clinic’s large scale and regional reach even as exact square footage remains variously reported.

The exact parcel and acreage reported also varied between local sources. Fred Welch, executive director of the Copperas Cove Economic Development Corporation, described the site as an “approximately 22-acre parcel of land located in The Narrows Business & Technology Park” on Robert Griffin III Boulevard. KDHnews identified a 37-acre tract at Robert Griffin III Boulevard and Constitution Drive, and KWTX described the site as the currently empty lot next to Beals and Ashly Outlet on Robert Griffin III Boulevard. KDHnews reported the location had been kept under wraps until a map was displayed at the announcement.

Officials provided a construction timetable tied to federal fiscal quarters and broader calendar estimates. Rep. Carter’s office, as reported by the Cove Leader-Press, said construction is expected to be completed by the second quarter of fiscal year 2029 and that the VA anticipates welcoming patients by the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2029. KWTX summarized the schedule as construction expected to be completed in late 2029.

Local leaders framed the project as both an economic engine and an access improvement for veterans. Mayor Dan Yancey called it “a huge economic engine for Copperas Cove,” citing “500 jobs, a building 240,000 sq. ft., parking, the ancillary service that it spins off.” Copperas Cove City Council Member and veteran Dale Treadway said the clinic will spare him and others long drives to Temple: “For me personally as a veteran, I won’t have to drive all the way to Temple,” and he added it could help veterans in outlying communities such as San Saba or Brownwood.

Fred Welch said the community’s economic-development arm has worked for years to secure the project and pledged local training efforts: “We are honored to have been selected for this project. The real beneficiaries here are the thousands of veterans and families that will be served from this facility,” and “We then will be coordinating with the state and our regional training partners to secure any training assistance that will assist the ISDs, community college and upper level schools in training and upskilling the 500 employees that will work at the facility.”

Congressional and VA statements framed the clinic within federal facility expansion. Rep. Carter emphasized patients’ preference for outpatient clinics, saying “Going to the hospital is great. They’ve got a good hospital to go to but they love the clinics because they can go in and out, see their healthcare professional, and get good care. Wherever we put one, they fall in love with it.” VA Secretary Doug Collins stated the project “underscores President Trump’s steadfast commitment to bringing more care to Veterans closer to home.”

Local reporting noted the announcement caps more than five years of work by city and development officials to attract the clinic, and observers highlighted the practical health impact of reduced travel for veterans who currently may drive about 30 miles to the Temple VA hospital. City and CCEDC leaders said workforce training and site preparation will be immediate priorities as construction planning and VA project details are finalized.