Vets deserve respect, not lip service
Once again, Wyoming lawmakers are being asked a simple question: Will the state finally fix the Veterans’ Home, or will it delay again and pay more later?
Gov. Mark Gordon has once more included a major renovation of the Veterans’ Home of Wyoming in his budget. The request totals $87 million to update the aging care unit, which functions as an assisted living home for veterans. This is not a new idea. It is a long-standing need that has survived hearings, drafts and speeches – only to be cut at the last moment when decisions matter.
The building’s problems are well documented. Some wings were built in 1941, others in 1973 and 1983. Residents share bathrooms. Parts of the facility are not compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A 2013 assessment rated the building as only “fair.” That was more than a decade ago. Time has not improved the structure.
Supporters once hoped the federal government would cover most of the cost. The project was expected to be mostly federally funded through U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs construction grants. But the project ranks 69th out of 73 eligible proposals nationwide. State health officials estimate Wyoming may wait two to eight more years for federal money.
Delay has a price. Inflation has already changed the math. What was once a 65-35 federal-state split has shifted to 47% federal and 53% state. Every year of waiting increases the cost and reduces the federal share. This is not fiscal restraint. It is false economics.
Some lawmakers question whether an $87 million remodel is the best use of funds. Sen. Tim French, R-Powell, has suggested that tearing down the building and starting over may be cheaper. That is a reasonable debate. What is not reasonable is continued inaction. The state has plans. The project is ready to be bid and built. Doing nothing is the most expensive option.
Rep. Marilyn Connolly, R-Buffalo, has toured the facility with Reps. John Bear and Ken Pendergraft, both veterans and members of the Joint Appropriations Committee. They have seen the conditions firsthand. Connolly has said plainly that Wyoming is not doing justice to the veterans living there.
She is correct. The Veterans Home technically meets standards, but the minimum standard is not a standard of honor. Wyoming regularly voices strong support for its veterans. That support should extend beyond lip service.
The project has been included in capital construction lists, annual budgets and supplemental requests. It has failed each time at the final stage. Now it is back, again, for lawmakers’ consideration.
January’s budget markup will test whether lawmakers are serious about cost control and respect for service. Acting now may be expensive. Waiting longer will cost more – and say even less about Wyoming’s priorities and how we treat our veterans.