Bill would fund Hampton Roads veterans care center
By Bill Sizemore, The Virginian-Pilot | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
After Gov.
The center would specialize in long-term care for veterans, similar to a nursing home, and would be operated by the
The project has been on the drawing board for years but has stalled because of a lack of federal money. Care centers are funded 65 percent by the federal government and 35 percent by the state.
There are two such centers in
Legislation to fund the state share of a
The bill (HB1275) dedicates
The funds would come out of a
McAuliffe, a Democrat, battled the Republican-controlled Assembly this year over budgetary issues -- principally his proposal to expand the
"There are significant health and life-safety issues with the current
Construction of the proposed centers is by no means assured, because acquiring the federal share of the funding has become increasingly difficult, according to Del.
"Before they fund new construction, their money goes to maintenance," Stolle said. "And the maintenance of the current facilities is eating up a major portion of their budget."
The hope is that dedicating a source of money for the state share will help shake the federal funds loose. Failing that, Stolle said, the state might decide to downsize the planned centers and fund them on its own.
No site has been selected for a
"If you look at where the heaviest veteran population centers are, it's
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