TOPEKA — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran stands behind a quest by the Kansas Legislature and Gov. Laura Kelly to build the state’s first nursing home for Kansas military veterans east of Topeka.
Kansas has soldier homes in near Dodge City and at Winfield, but none directly serving the cluster of military retirees living in northeast Kansas. And, Kansas trails surrounding states in terms of care facilities for vets with Missouri and Oklahoma hosting seven, Colorado at five and Nebraska with four.
Under a plan moving through the Kansas House and Senate, the state would commit to cover 35% of the construction cost for an estimated $31 million building and would be on the hook for annual operational funding. A U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs program would cover the remaining 65% of construction expenditures. Given the national waiting list for VA funding, it could take several years to bring the Kansas project to fruition. No specific site has been selected.
“Thousands of veterans call Kansas home, and as they move to long-term assisted living homes, they often have to make the difficult decision to move away from their family and community,” Moran said.
On Monday, the Republican U.S. senator said the financial commitment by the Kansas Legislature was appreciated and that he stood ready to assist with the project at the federal level. The state’s preauthorization of bonding is expected to move the Kansas project higher on the VA’s priority list.
A bill introduced in the Kansas House evolved during the 2021 legislative session. Originally, the idea was to earmark $17.5 million in state funding for construction of an estimated $52 million nursing home in either Douglas, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Shawnee or Wyandotte counties. The full House voted 121-2 to tweak House Bill 2021 by lowering the state’s construction obligation to $10.5 million in anticipation the state could make use of free land in Wyandotte or Leavenworth counties.
In the Senate, members unanimously passed a version allowing the nursing home to be built somewhere in northeast Kansas rather than limited to sites in the five counties. The Senate also decided the State Finance Council, which includes the governor and House and Senate leaders, should review and approve issuance of bonds by the Kansas Development Finance Authority for the nursing home.
The difference of perspective between the Senate and House will be subject of negotiations that pick up steam Tuesday when legislators begin returning from a spring break.
