LANSING, Mich. — Sens. Ed McBroom and Adam Hollier are proposing a generational investment in veterans with the construction of a new veterans home in Detroit and the replacement of the D.J. Jacobetti Home for Veterans in Marquette.
The senators think veterans should not have to wait for the budget process to be completed and plan to push to include this funding in a supplemental appropriations bill.
“We see this unique moment in time to spend one-time funds and draw down more than a $140 million in federal matching funds as the right time to follow up on the longstanding plans to build a Detroit Veterans Home and replace the Jacobetti Home,” said Hollier, D-Detroit.
“Plans for both of these projects have been years in the making, and their construction was proposed by the 2016 Veterans Workgroup as a way to increase and improve the care our military veterans have earned through their service,” said McBroom, R-Waucedah Township. “The Michigan Veteran Facility Authority Board has included both of these projects as priorities since 2016 and now is the time to follow through.”
The Veterans Workgroup was created to address the shortfalls of the Grand Rapids Home for Veterans, with the establishment of the Michigan Veteran Facility Authority Board resulting from its recommendations. Since then, the authority board has overseen the construction of several facilities that now comply with federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regulations, thus helping obtain essential funding to provide care to the state’s veterans.
“Our veterans volunteered to put their lives on the line for us; the absolute least we can do is make sure they are taken care of when they come home,” Hollier said. “Detroit veterans have been particularly underserved and now is the time we correct that issue. A new veterans home can catalyze reinvestment in a neighborhood by replacing the shuttered Mound Prison.”
“Wayne County has the state’s largest community of veterans and they deserve to have a facility near the Dingell VA,” Hollier said. “The Jacobetti Home is reaching a critical juncture for replacement and cannot fully comply with federal requirements, leaving our vets without services and leaving money on the table. We will continue to use our positions to advocate and push for this important work to be initiated as soon as possible.”
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