III 

109TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 417 

Honoring the National Association of State Veterans Homes and the 119 

State veterans homes providing long-term care to veterans that are 

represented by that association for their contributions to the health 

care of veterans and the health-care system of the Nation. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 31, 2006 

Mr. LAUTENBERG (for himself, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. CRAIG, Mr. AKAKA, Mr. 

FRIST, Ms. STABENOW, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. LANDRIEU, 

Mr. JOHNSON, Mr. BIDEN, Mr. KERRY, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, 

Mr. DURBIN, Mr. NELSON of Nebraska, Mr. DORGAN, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. 

COLEMAN, Mr. SUNUNU, Ms. MURKOWSKI, Mr. CHAFEE, Mr. ISAKSON, 

Mr. INHOFE, Mr. SANTORUM, Mr. SCHUMER, Mrs. CLINTON, Ms. 

SNOWE, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. BURNS, Mrs. HUTCHISON, Mr. GREGG, Mr. 

CRAPO, Mr. VOINOVICH, Mr. VITTER, and Mr. BINGAMAN) submitted the 

following resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Honoring the National Association of State Veterans Homes 

and the 119 State veterans homes providing long-term 

care to veterans that are represented by that association 

for their contributions to the health care of veterans 

and the health-care system of the Nation. 

Whereas the National Association of State Veterans Homes 

was established in 1954 by a group of administrators of 

State veterans homes to represent the interests of those 


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•SRES 417 ATS

homes in a unified voice before Congress and the executive branch; 

Whereas the National Association of State Veterans Homes 

functions on an all-volunteer basis and focuses on endeavors that improve the conditions of care furnished to 

veterans by State veterans homes, elevate and monitor 

the qualifications for managers of such homes, and provide continuing education standards for staff who provide 

care to veterans in such homes; 

Whereas the National Association of State Veterans Homes 

has been and continues to be in the forefront of developing and supporting new methods and models for providing long-term care services to elderly veterans, such as 

hospice care, respite care, Alzheimer’s care, and adult 

day health care; 

Whereas State veterans homes, which provide long-term care 

to thousands of veterans, were established initially in the 

States of Connecticut, Kansas, Ohio, and Maine in 1868 

to house, feed, and care for thousands of homeless, 

wounded, and permanently scarred Union soldiers and 

thus have been in existence since before the establishment 

of the Department of Veterans Affairs, the earlier Veterans’ Administration, and its predecessor agencies; 

Whereas in 1888 Congress authorized the Federal payment 

of a daily allowance for the care of each former soldier 

or sailor in a State home-hospital, an allowance that continues today in the form of a per diem grant program administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

Whereas the Department of Veterans Affairs further participates in the care of veterans in State homes with a 

matching grant program to support construction and 


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•SRES 417 ATS

major renovation projects to sustain those homes and 

build towards sufficient levels of available, high-quality 

health care; 

Whereas State veterans homes offer long-term services to eligible veterans in need of such services on certification of 

the Department of Veterans Affairs at 119 facilities in 

47 States and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico; 

Whereas the States determine the allocation of nursing home 

beds in individual State veterans home facilities, and establish the eligibility of veterans and their dependents to 

occupy those beds, following Federal guidelines; 

Whereas within the limits of their capacities, State veterans 

homes provide care for more than 27,500 veterans each 

day, accounting for more than 50 percent of the total national long-term care bed capacity for veterans, thereby 

sharing the enormous responsibility of caring for veterans 

with the Department of Veterans Affairs in an admirable 

partnership; 

Whereas State veterans homes provide quality care for elderly 

and disabled veterans at an average daily cost that is significantly less than nursing homes operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs; 

Whereas the number of elderly veterans, particularly those 

over age 85, continues to rise, and the need for long-term 

care services for those veterans will continue to rise in 

the coming years; and 

Whereas the Nation’s State veterans homes continue to 

achieve their purpose of improving and sustaining the 

health of elderly, sick, and severely disabled veterans by 

assuring access to affordable nursing care in settings 

that provide personal dignity to truly deserving veterans, 


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often at the end of lives spent in service to the Nation: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) honors the National Association of State 

3 Veterans Homes and the 119 State veterans homes 

4 providing long-term care to veterans that are rep5 resented by that association for their significant con6 tributions to the health care of veterans and to the 

7 health care system of the Nation; 

8 (2) commends the thousands of individuals who 

9 work in, or on behalf of, State veterans homes for 

10 their contributions in caring for elderly and disabled 

11 veterans; 

12 (3) recognizes the importance of the partner13 ship between the States and the Department of Vet14 erans Affairs in providing long-term care to vet15 erans; and 

16 (4) affirms the support of Congress for continu17 ation of the State homes program to address the 

18 known and anticipated needs of the Nation’s vet19 erans for institutional long-term care services. 

Æ 


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