The Governor's latest round of budget cuts has officially put an end to some services for veterans in Hampden County. Although the outpatient doors closed for good at the Soldiers' Home in Holyoke on Tuesday, veterans do have somewhere they can go for care.

The doors to the Soldiers' Home outpatient services is officially closed, even after protests and pleas from local veterans. Many are still unsure where they will turn for health care. They may not have to look far. Many vets could be eligible for care at the VA Medical Center in Leeds

"We have the capacity to handle the veterans who are affected," public relations specialist Anne Sheerman said.

Two thousand five hundred veterans could be eligible for care and not even know it.

"Some are already in our system and get some kind of service here already," Sheerman said.

The VA hospital is already getting phone calls. As of Tuesday, five veterans from Holyoke had enrolled for outpatient care.

"We've been contacting the veterans letting them know about the application and we expect some increase response in the next few weeks," Sheerman said.

Not all vets may be eligible. That is because the VA Center is a federal facility while the Soldiers' Home is state run. Either way, officials urge vets to find out whether they qualify, because if they do, they will have the same services offered to them as they had at the Soldiers' Home.

For more information on the application process log on www.va.gov.