State approves $19.3 million nursing facility for veterans

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.

Past VFW Post 10047 Commander Odis Ward is pleased by the state's commitment to a planned military veterans home in Las Vegas but won't rest until he sees the assembled bricks and mortar.

Ward, now the post's quartermaster, will join other local Veterans of Foreign Wars officials in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 8 to press the issue that took a step forward Tuesday when Gov. Bob Miller announced the state will join the federal government in building the $19.3 million nursing facility.

"I'm glad that Gov. Miller has made this decision, but I know from past experience that you have to keep the pressure on or it will wind up on the back burner," said Ward, a Korea-Vietnam war veteran.

"When we meet to talk with our senators and congressmen, the veterans home will be at the top of our list of priorities."

Ward, 57, was post commander in 1987-88 when approval was given to build a veterans cemetery in Southern Nevada.

He remembers all too well the years of struggle to convince lawmakers of the need for the Boulder City facility, which today serves as the final resting place for several thousand local military veterans.

"The veterans home issue dates back to when we were fighting for the cemetery and the (Mike O'Callaghan Federal) hospital," Ward said.

Plans have long been to build a veterans home on a patch of desert land just north of the Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital off Las Vegas Boulevard. The VFW hall, frequented daily by old soldiers, stands a short distance away at 4337 Las Vegas Blvd. North.

Veterans from other organizations also endorsed Miller's decision, saying it was a step in the right direction.

"We have been working on this for so many years, I can't remember when it all started," said Joel Cossneer, past commander and current director of post services for American Legion Post 8.

"What we want is for the home to be built right so that it will benefit as many veterans as possible."

Cossneer, who has been rated 100 percent disabled by the Veterans Administration, says the long delays in building a care home for veterans can be linked to "the usual politics."

"The government does not want to spend money on veterans unless it absolutely has to," Cossneer said. "They have finally taken a step forward on the veterans home."

Tom Caenen, state commander of the Disabled American Veterans, a group that figures to benefit most from a veterans home, was in Southern California Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

His wife, however, has watched her husband's fight for the home. She lauded the governor's decision.

"This will benefit many veterans in the state," said Janet Caenen, a state executive committee member for DAV Chapter 12 Women's Auxiliary.

"It should be of great help to the aging veterans, especially the homeless, who served this country yet are not getting the benefits they deserve. I'll be happy when I see it up and operating."

Miller's plan was presented Tuesday to the state Public Works Board, which included it on a list of $300 million in building projects for the next two years.

State Budget Director Perry Comeaux, who is chairman of the board, said the 180-bed skilled nursing facility would be financed 65 percent by the federal government and 35 percent by the state. That would put the state's contribution at $6 million to $7 million.

He said financing for the operations of the home will have the same split.

Ward said while plans to go ahead with financing of the project are good news to all veterans -- any of them potentially may require such services -- he and others believe there is a lot of work to be done in establishing the ground rules as to who will qualify to use it.

"My feelings are that if you are from a family that is well off and can take care of you, then other arrangements should be made," Ward said. "However, if you have no family or if your family cannot afford to take care of you when you get older, the veterans home would be the way to go."

Cossneer and Ward also question how much the facility will be used to assist the homeless vets -- one of the largest and fastest-growing sectors of the homeless community, according to national statistics.

Cossneer said the two issues should be treated separately. He feels that "very few" of the homeless vets will be helped via this program because there are many aging disabled vets, homeless or not, who should be given priority.

Ward noted that for the younger veterans who are down and out, there are programs that can help them help themselves. However, aging and ailing homeless veterans should be given consideration for a space in the home, he said.