NEW: Plans for New RI Veterans Home Get Federal Approval
Thursday, August 29, 2013
The RI Veterans Home provides quality nursing and residential care to all Rhode Island war veterans.
"We must be a state that provides certainty to its Veterans, who have done so much on our behalf," Chafee said. "Last fall, Rhode Islanders expressed their desire to provide a new up-to-date facility for our state's Veterans by overwhelmingly approving Question No. 4 to issue general obligation bonds for the construction of a new Veterans' Home. Today's announcement is a great step forward in honoring our voters and our Veterans."
The background
In November 2012, 77 percent of Rhode Island voters overwhelmingly approved issuing a $94 million bond to finance a new Rhode Island Veterans Home. Durkee, Brown, Viveiros, Werenfels Architects were selected through a request for proposals to work with the Department of Human Services Division of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Administration Division of Capital Projects on an engineering study and a design and feasibility analysis.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIn April, an application for a Veterans Home construction grant was prepared and then submitted to the DVA Office of Construction and Facility Management. According to the DVA approval, any federal matching funding will cover costs retroactively to April 23, 2013.
What’s next?
The state anticipates an award letter from DVA Secretary, General Eric K. Shinseki in December 2013. The award amount is based on a tiered priority list of other approved Veterans home projects from around the country. The new home will be built on the grounds of the present Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol and will accommodate different levels of nursing care and expanded rehabilitation services along with an adult day-care facility.
The three-part project consists of a new 225 bed nursing home facility to replace the existing one, a new 75 bed assisted living facility, and the renovation of the current facility to provide spouse residences, recreation, rehabilitation, and homeless veteran’s beds.
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