Optimism on vet nursing home

T

he much-talked-about, never-delivered veterans' nursing home may be back on track at the Legislature.

Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, says he thinks this year might see the state front the money for what is essentially a federal project. The 100-bed nursing home for veterans, to complement an 80-bed facility in Salt Lake City, is on the Veterans Administration priority list -- just not yet at the top. As near as Dee and other state officials can figure, by speaking with VA officials, Uncle Sam would reimburse the state for construction in three or four years.

There's already demand for the beds - vets who need the service aren't getting it - but soaring construction costs could turn the $20 million project into a $30 million project, or more, by the time the feds shake loose the coin to build the thing.

So, Gov. Jon Huntsman has included the nursing home in his proposed budget, and Dee and his allies in the Legislature will try to deliver. Huntsman's office says they have firm commitments from the VA that Utah will be repaid its expense, and that should help to win support among lawmakers who've been reluctant in the past.

Reasons for supporting the nursing home, though, are not limited to doing the right thing by our veterans. The fact is, the nursing home will generate jobs, and federal funds will flow to the facility immediately to pay for the vets' care.

So, this year, after a few legislative sessions full of disappointments, the nursing home might finally get a go-ahead.

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