South Dakota Delegation Urging VA Secretary to Save Hot Springs VA

SIOUX FALLS, S.D.- The South Dakota congressional delegation is continuing to urge Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to withdraw plans to reconfigure the VA Black Hills Health Care System from President Barack Obama's budget proposal.

Sens. John Thune and Mike Rounds and Rep. Kristi Noem met with McDonald Tuesday to reiterate their concerns.

The VA has served veterans in Hot Springs for more than a century but now wants to move some services to Rapid City. The Hot Springs VA hospital is listed on the National Register of Historic Places but could be shuttered.

The delegation says McDonald assured them that no final decision has been made yet about the future of the Hot Springs VA.