Weber may finally get a vets home

Weber County may finally get a veterans nursing home, and veterans may get improved educational opportunities.

On Tuesday morning, the House Government Operations Committee unanimously approved a bill that would provide $19.7 million to build the nursing home, a figure the state is counting on the federal government to reimburse. Later in the day, the House Education Committee gave the nod to two bills honoring veterans' service with honorary high school diplomas or college tuition waivers.

Construction on the veterans nursing home has stalled since 2005, when the Legislature approved a $4.5 million bond that is contingent on federal funding that has yet to materialize. The 120-bed nursing home is still on the federal list for funding, although it is low, but "the feds continue to tell us they will live up to their commitments," said Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace.

"It's about time we as Utahns step up to the plate and say regardless of what the federal government may be involved in, we as Utahns respect our veterans and we will build a nursing home," Dee said.

With construction costs booming, however, the state can wait no longer because costs could increase $6 million with longer delays, said Terry Schow, director of Utah's Division of Veterans Affairs. The state has one 80-bed home in Salt Lake that has run at capacity since opening in 1989, and there is a waiting list of almost 100 people.

The Weber County nursing home should clear some space at the Salt Lake home, and serve veterans in Box Elder, Cache, Davis and Weber counties, although all veterans are welcome, Schow said.

In 2001, the state's over-65 veteran population reached 49,000. In the coming years experts believe that age group will represent 41 percent of the total number of veterans in the state.

With those increasing numbers, local veterans groups are looking at other locations for nursing homes. Future nursing home sites are slated for southern and central Utah, according to the Utah Division of Veterans Affairs Home Strategic Plan.

HB 129 includes a line that says the state will not approve the construction of any future veterans nursing homes until the federal government reimburses the state for the Weber County facility.

War veterans could receive additional education help through two bills that would give them honorary high school diplomas and college tuition waivers.