Shorter drives, faster care for Williamson and Travis county veterans

Current situation

The VA operates a larger hospital and clinic in Temple, which many local veterans utilize because the southeast Austin and Cedar Park clinics are smaller, community-based outpatient clinics, Palladino said.

“Veterans have to travel a long way,” he said. “Especially if they’re disabled veterans, you’re putting a burden on them. So, proximity is really important.”

According to CTVHCS, more than 28,000 veterans within a 30-minute drive of the new Round Rock site were enrolled in the VA health care system as of 2019.

For Georgetown residents and Vietnam veterans Steve and Diane Klutz, these new clinics could mean that the health care they receive will be closer to home, they said.

“Definitely, if they had meeting areas for veterans for support groups, that would be nice [and] then you wouldn’t have to drive as far,” Diane Klutz said. “It’s the same as trying to get your records. It would be nice to be able to go to a closer clinic to get your blood work done and then go for your appointment.”

The average drive times to area VA clinics, starting at 9 a.m. from Round Rock’s city center are approximately:

• 45 minutes-1 hour to Temple hospital and clinic
• 25-40 minutes to Austin clinic
• 15-30 minutes to Cedar park clinic
• 12-24 minutes to new Round Rock clinic

• 40-50 minutes to Temple hospital and clinic
• 35-50 minutes to Austin clinic
• 20-35 minutes to Cedar park clinic
• 15-30 minutes to new Round Rock clinic

• 50 minutes-1 hour to Temple hospital and clinic
• 24-35 minutes to Austin clinic
• 20-28 minutes to Cedar park clinic
• 16-26 minutes to new Round Rock clinic

• 45 minutes-1 hour to Temple hospital and clinic
• 28-40 minutes to Austin clinic
• 24-35 minutes to Cedar park clinic
• 9-16 minutes to new Round Rock clinic

Zooming in

The Round Rock clinic will provide primary and preventive care, specialty services such as physical therapy, and mental health support, which Palladino said is usually only available at the main hospitals.

Palladino also said the TVC will work to place health care advocates, who help schedule appointments, assist with claims and resolve billing issues, in the new clinics.

Services at the Round Rock clinic will include:

• Mental health counseling and therapy programs
• Women’s health services
• Specialty care such as cardiology, orthopedics and pain management
• On-site laboratory and imaging services
• Pharmacy support
• Telehealth services

With mental health services to be provided at the new Round Rock VA clinic, the Klutzes said they have both utilized these services at the Temple VA clinic for years.

Steve Klutz began receiving VA health care after experiencing a mental health crisis following 9/11, and has since formed a strong bond with his psychiatrist.

“Mental health-wise, when I went to them, ... they understood PTSD, and it was good,” he said. “They offer many things to veterans, especially those of us who have been to Vietnam, or World War II or Korea—who have been in combat.”

Diane Klutz said there are still some improvements the VA could make to address women’s health needs, but said her experience receiving mental health care has continued to improve.

“I think the thing for a woman is that, even as early as after 9/11, and the first decade of the 21st century, they still didn’t know what to do with women a whole lot,” she said. “I think they’re working on that. I do my psychiatric stuff through them, and I’m very pleased with that side of it.”

Receiving care at VA clinics comes down to feeling respected and understood, Steve Klutz said, which can help veterans cope with physical or mental health issues.

“It’s camaraderie; there’s a lot of that,” Steve said. “They do a good job in making you feel wanted.”

The TVC also trains community health care providers, law enforcement and nonprofits in military cultural competency to help them understand veterans’ perspectives, Palladino said. VA health care workers have also typically worked with veterans for a long time, have family members that are veterans, or are veterans themselves, he said.

“Maybe years ago, there was a perception that they didn’t help veterans get through their crisis moments; it was more mechanical,” Palladino said. “But I think that they made a lot of efforts to change that.”

The new sites are part of a broader effort to expand offerings to military members, as the VA enrolled more than 100,000 new veterans in health care services in 2026. Funding for the Round Rock facility stems from a $4.8 billion package via the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-recurring Maintenance program.

Once open, the Round Rock clinic is expected to:

• Expand care for 24,000 veterans in Williamson County and surrounding areas
• Reduce average VA clinic travel times by 60-90 minutes
• Create 100 jobs for 12 patient care teams

CTVHCS officials are planning a groundbreaking ceremony for the Round Rock clinic on June 18, with the facility expected to be operational by winter 2027.

Per a news release from Rep. Carter’s office, the Georgetown clinic could also see construction begin in 2027.

“Every medical environment, civilian medical environment or VA medical environment has its own culture,” Palladino said. “[If] the facility itself is older and has a lot of infrastructure problems, that can create an environment where people aren’t as happy. So these newer facilities really help the people that work there and help the clients that go in there.”