RESOLUTION 2010-3
SUPPORT FOR FULL CONGRESSIONAL FUNDING FOR STATE EXTENDED CARE FACILITIES CONSTRUCTION MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM

WHEREAS, State Veterans Homes were founded for veterans after the American Civil War and have ably served disabled veterans for nearly 150 years; and

WHEREAS, every State operates at least one State Veterans Home, with one home in Puerto Rico, and more State Veterans Homes and beds and other programs within them are planned or projected annually to meet a growing demand for long term care programs and facilities for American’s elderly, sick and disabled veterans; and

WHEREAS, The State Veterans Home program has proven itself to be the most cost-effective source of high quality long-term health care services for the nation’s veterans who need skilled nursing, domiciliary, adult day health care and other specialized programs to meet their needs; and

WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) promotes the care and treatment of veterans in State Veterans Homes as an important means to attain its goal of developing, providing and maintaining the highest quality of care for eligible veterans; and

WHEREAS, Subchapter III of Chapter 81, Title 38, United States Code, authorizes the State Extended Care Facilities Grant Program, funded by VA through Congressional appropriations, to assist the States through grants for construction of new State Veterans Homes and for significant renovations of existing facilities, at a cost not to exceed 65% of the total cost of any such project proposed by a State and approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs;

WHEREAS, VA has not kept up with the States’ pace of grant applications for construction of new State Veterans Homes and significant renovation and modernization projects at existing homes, resulting in a significant backlog of “Priority One” projects already funded by the States, within a total backlog of projects and new homes approaching $1 billion; and,

WHEREAS, Congress appropriated $150 million in supplemental appropriations for the State Extended Care Facilities Grant Program, as a small increment of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, H.R. 1, an Act the President approved on February 17, 2009.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the National Association of State Veterans Homes (NASVH) supports full annual funding, at minimum an amount of $250 million, for the State Extended Care Facilities Grant Program, in order for the Department of Veterans Affairs and the several States to further reduce the structural backlog of worthy projects pending funding during Fiscal 2011.



COLLEEN RUNDELL, M.S., LNHA
President
National Association of State Veterans Homes
Dated this on 30 Day of April, 2010