Livermore, California — The Department of Veterans Affairs is permanently closing its community living center in Livermore, California, forcing 27 veteran residents to find new homes — and raising fresh questions about what happens to veterans in nursing care when federal facilities disappear.
The CLC, located at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System’s Livermore Division, is set to shut down by mid-June. Residents are being transferred to the VA’s community living center in Menlo Park or “other community nursing home locations,” according to VA regional public affairs director Damian McGee.
A Building Past Its Prime
The closure isn’t a surprise to those who’ve followed the Livermore campus closely. The 113-acre complex is more than 100 years old, and the VA has acknowledged for years that its aging infrastructure simply can’t keep up with the demands of modern care.
“This transition has been in the works for years, as the Livermore campus is more than 100 years old and faces significant challenges due to its aging infrastructure,” McGee said.
VA officials notified community partners by email last week that the CLC would close permanently, and that all residents would move to Menlo Park. “We understand this may come as a significant change, and we truly appreciate all the support, time, and care that has been given to our veterans here,” the email read.
Part of a Larger Realignment
The closure is one piece of an estimated $505 million VA realignment project that’s been gestating for at least two decades. The broader plan calls for new outpatient clinics in Fremont and French Camp, a new 120-bed community living center in French Camp, a renovated specialty care space in Palo Alto, and a new VA campus in Stockton.
Once those facilities are complete, the VA plans to decommission the Livermore campus entirely.
The VA says the move will benefit veterans — newer facilities, better transportation access for families. But the displacement of 27 residents still represents a significant disruption, and the broader realignment timeline remains uncertain. The last formal update on the VA’s own website was from September 2022.
A Pattern Worth Watching
This isn’t an isolated closure. Across the country, nursing home operators — VA-affiliated and otherwise — are navigating facility consolidations driven by aging buildings, funding constraints, and shifting care models. As industry reports have noted, rural and government-operated facilities have often been left out of federal programs designed to support long-term care infrastructure, making closures like this harder to avoid.
For the 27 veterans at the Livermore CLC, the transition is real and immediate. The bingo games are over. The food donations from community partners are ending. Beginning June, the building that housed them for years will sit empty — waiting on a $505 million plan that’s still taking shape.
