State plans for VA nursing home in Sp. Fork

SPANISH FORK — As a Veterans Affairs outreach worker, Thad Jensen travels to state Department of Workforce Services offices in five Utah communities twice a month to work with other veterans.

The retired Army master sergeant answers their questions and signs them up for veterans benefits.

So when the Utah Department of Veterans Affairs announced it plans to build a 100-bed nursing home for aging, ill or disabled soldiers, Jensen was keenly aware of how many it would serve — 42,000 of the more than 160,000 in the state. Of those, 26,000 are older than 65 and likely would require nursing home care, VA research shows. Most served in World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The Spanish Fork home would serve veterans in Utah, Salt Lake, Juab, Carbon and Emery counties. Utah has just two other state veterans' nursing homes, one that is just opening in Ogden and another in Salt Lake City that opened in 1998.

The waiting list to get into a VA nursing home is so long that many veterans don't put their name on the list, said Dennis McFall, deputy director of Utah Veterans Affairs. "Usually their need is immediate, and a year or longer wait is not acceptable."

Just one federal VA hospital and four clinics are located in the state.

"Utah has taken a back seat to other states," Jensen said.

Several things have to happen before the first shovel of dirt is turned for the Spanish Fork state facility. First, officials must acquire 16 acres to build it. The federal government won't commit any money to acquire land, McFall said.

"We're looking for donations," said Jensen, a past state commander of the American Legion.

Somewhere, he said, a landowner has enough acreage for the nursing home and would be willing to make that donation.

Second, the Utah Legislature must assure Veterans Affairs that it has earmarked $6.2 million for construction — the state's share. That would put the facility in a position to receive federal funding.

The federal share is $11.2 million. Construction of the estimated $17.5 million state-owned facility could begin within two years after acquiring the land.

Most veterans in the Spanish Fork service area go to civilian nursing homes, Jensen said.

"It's very expensive for them — $3,000 to $4,000 a month," he said. "A lot of them are living with their kids."