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"THE HAZY THOUGHTS OF A FUTURE JOURNALIST"
"THE HAZY THOUGHTS OF A FUTURE JOURNALIST"
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Unsure future for Missouri Veteran Homes:
Veterans can wait several years before receiving care in Missouri
BY SYDNEY MILLER & MONICA AYALA-TALAVERA
Intended for KBIA-FM Online
Veterans can wait several years before receiving care in Missouri
BY SYDNEY MILLER & MONICA AYALA-TALAVERA
Intended for KBIA-FM Online
A year ago, 63-year-old Martinsburg, Mo., resident Dennis Singleton was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At an age when most people are preparing for retirement, Singleton was applying for a nursing home.
Singleton fought in Vietnam. He applied to the State Veterans Home in Mexico, and was added to a waiting list of 187 others also seeking care.
“My wife does everything for me. She drives, sets up my pills- I take 24 pills a day- she does everything,” Singleton said. “They are medicating me to take care of the Parkinson’s, but eventually the medication won’t do for me what it should. I will get steadily worse. If I become more than she can handle, I will have to look for something like [a veterans home]. That’s why I put my name on the list.”
Singleton still has time before he requires constant medical care, but he was aware of the possibility for a two to three year wait before they can move into a home. He decided to play it safe, and plan for the future.
Singleton fought in Vietnam. He applied to the State Veterans Home in Mexico, and was added to a waiting list of 187 others also seeking care.
“My wife does everything for me. She drives, sets up my pills- I take 24 pills a day- she does everything,” Singleton said. “They are medicating me to take care of the Parkinson’s, but eventually the medication won’t do for me what it should. I will get steadily worse. If I become more than she can handle, I will have to look for something like [a veterans home]. That’s why I put my name on the list.”
Singleton still has time before he requires constant medical care, but he was aware of the possibility for a two to three year wait before they can move into a home. He decided to play it safe, and plan for the future.
Missouri Veteran Dennis Singleton describes his time on Missouri’s extensive ‘Waiting List’ for care (running time: 2:08)
Currently, Missouri’s seven veteran homes provide care for 1,350 people. However, 1,600 are on waiting lists in the state: 187 are waiting for admission into Mexico’s veteran home, and 198 are waiting for admission to the Warrensburg location.
The average wait is 18 months. There are three levels of care in the Mexico home, depending on a resident’s needs. The home creates separate waiting lists for each “level” in the home, so the waiting period can be anywhere from seven months to several years, depending on when spots become available.
The demand for veteran home care stems from its competitive pricing and convenience. Depending on a resident’s needs, they would pay a maximum of $1,800 a month for medical care and room and board, as opposed to a private facility, which could cost up to $4,000 a month.
However, Cheryl Lybarger, Administrator at the Mexico Veterans Home, said the Veterans Administration (VA) is not looking to build larger facilities; rather, there is a trend toward building smaller facilities in an effort to create, what Lybarger called, “a more homelike environment.” The VA said these smaller facilities would allow residents to have single rooms, more privacy and a better experience.
“If we tacked on 50 beds, would it make that much of a difference [on quality of care]? I don’t know that it would,” Lybarger said.
In addition to small facilities, Missouri Veteran Homes are also facing a funding crisis. The homes survived the 2011 legislative session, narrowly avoiding funding cuts and closures.
Jefferson City Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Jessie Jones explained the homes had previously been funded through a tax on casinos. However, other programs, like early education development, soon were being funded this way, edging veterans out of funding.
“What the Missouri Veterans’ Commission has had to do is tap into the veterans’ capital improvement trust fund, which is money that has been set aside for construction needs, renovations, upkeep…in order to continue to operate,” Lybarger said. “We will become insolvent within a period of time if that money is not supplemented.”
The VFW posts in Missouri have been a source of support to veteran homes that are unsure about their future. VFW provides volunteers, funding and entertainment to veterans in all Missouri cities.
VFW members led a rally Sept. 14 in Jefferson City to protest rumored funding cuts to veteran homes. Jones said more than 1,000 people participated in the rally.
“Now we’re saying [to legislators] it is a high priority that they do something in this next legislative session; or, if they can’t fund veteran homes out of general revenue, we will have to start closing homes,” Jones said.
The average wait is 18 months. There are three levels of care in the Mexico home, depending on a resident’s needs. The home creates separate waiting lists for each “level” in the home, so the waiting period can be anywhere from seven months to several years, depending on when spots become available.
The demand for veteran home care stems from its competitive pricing and convenience. Depending on a resident’s needs, they would pay a maximum of $1,800 a month for medical care and room and board, as opposed to a private facility, which could cost up to $4,000 a month.
However, Cheryl Lybarger, Administrator at the Mexico Veterans Home, said the Veterans Administration (VA) is not looking to build larger facilities; rather, there is a trend toward building smaller facilities in an effort to create, what Lybarger called, “a more homelike environment.” The VA said these smaller facilities would allow residents to have single rooms, more privacy and a better experience.
“If we tacked on 50 beds, would it make that much of a difference [on quality of care]? I don’t know that it would,” Lybarger said.
In addition to small facilities, Missouri Veteran Homes are also facing a funding crisis. The homes survived the 2011 legislative session, narrowly avoiding funding cuts and closures.
Jefferson City Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Jessie Jones explained the homes had previously been funded through a tax on casinos. However, other programs, like early education development, soon were being funded this way, edging veterans out of funding.
“What the Missouri Veterans’ Commission has had to do is tap into the veterans’ capital improvement trust fund, which is money that has been set aside for construction needs, renovations, upkeep…in order to continue to operate,” Lybarger said. “We will become insolvent within a period of time if that money is not supplemented.”
The VFW posts in Missouri have been a source of support to veteran homes that are unsure about their future. VFW provides volunteers, funding and entertainment to veterans in all Missouri cities.
VFW members led a rally Sept. 14 in Jefferson City to protest rumored funding cuts to veteran homes. Jones said more than 1,000 people participated in the rally.
“Now we’re saying [to legislators] it is a high priority that they do something in this next legislative session; or, if they can’t fund veteran homes out of general revenue, we will have to start closing homes,” Jones said.
Legislators have proposed several alternatives to fund veteran homes, including an excise tax on cigarettes, gaming and internet sales; an increase in the admissions tax on casinos, which requires the casinos to pay $1 for every customer admitted ($6 million is generated for the homes already using this tax); or, dedicating 1/8th of the state’s four percent sales tax to veteran programs. Jones expects funding to be first priority when the state legislative session begins in January.
Press Director for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Jay Eastlick, said the Lt. Gov. had toured the homes this summer, listening to veteran concerns. The $6 million from the casino admission tax that is usually designated to the homes was redirected to other programs, Eastlick said.
“The veteran funds had a home trust fund, and I think the thinking was ‘We’ll use this money [$6 million] budgeted for veterans homes, for other needs, and they can use money from their trust fund in the mean time,’” Eastlick said.
However, Lybarger remains hopeful that monetary aid is on the horizon.
“We have phenomenal support from legislators and the governor’s office, and the message I have received over and over again, is: ‘Don’t mention even the possibility of closing the veterans home, we will ensure operations are maintained’. That is the consistent message and that is very reassuring for the veterans program, staff, residents and volunteers,” Lybarger said.
Eastlick is adamant that Lt. Gov. Kinder is “firmly opposed” to closing any of the homes.
This sentiment is not reassuring for all veterans, however.
World War II veteran William Christensen has only been living in the Mexico home for a month, but said he is concerned about the funding issues facing veteran programs in Missouri. He waited seven months before he moved in.
He expressed hope that the state as well as federal government will begin budgeting better for veteran benefits.
For those who are still waiting for a spot to open at the homes, like Singleton, the funding discussions are frustrating.
“I figure if they have enough money to take care of millions of World War II veterans, then where is that money when it comes time to taking care of us? They promised us when we went in that they would take care of us. We worked for less than 50 cents an hour and now here is the chance to pay back the veterans,” Singleton said.
Most who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, were drafted into service. When they left, they claim no one received benefits beyond what normal citizens receive. In fact, Singleton said the one service he needed most was counseling.
“I’m not trying to forget Vietnam, I’m trying to learn how to live with Vietnam. It doesn’t go away,” he said. It’s like the Parkinson’s. It may not get worse but it does not go away. It is in the tips of my fingers, it’s in my toes, it’s in my body. Vietnam is mentioned somewhere, somehow, almost every day.”
Press Director for Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder, Jay Eastlick, said the Lt. Gov. had toured the homes this summer, listening to veteran concerns. The $6 million from the casino admission tax that is usually designated to the homes was redirected to other programs, Eastlick said.
“The veteran funds had a home trust fund, and I think the thinking was ‘We’ll use this money [$6 million] budgeted for veterans homes, for other needs, and they can use money from their trust fund in the mean time,’” Eastlick said.
However, Lybarger remains hopeful that monetary aid is on the horizon.
“We have phenomenal support from legislators and the governor’s office, and the message I have received over and over again, is: ‘Don’t mention even the possibility of closing the veterans home, we will ensure operations are maintained’. That is the consistent message and that is very reassuring for the veterans program, staff, residents and volunteers,” Lybarger said.
Eastlick is adamant that Lt. Gov. Kinder is “firmly opposed” to closing any of the homes.
This sentiment is not reassuring for all veterans, however.
World War II veteran William Christensen has only been living in the Mexico home for a month, but said he is concerned about the funding issues facing veteran programs in Missouri. He waited seven months before he moved in.
He expressed hope that the state as well as federal government will begin budgeting better for veteran benefits.
For those who are still waiting for a spot to open at the homes, like Singleton, the funding discussions are frustrating.
“I figure if they have enough money to take care of millions of World War II veterans, then where is that money when it comes time to taking care of us? They promised us when we went in that they would take care of us. We worked for less than 50 cents an hour and now here is the chance to pay back the veterans,” Singleton said.
Most who fought in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, were drafted into service. When they left, they claim no one received benefits beyond what normal citizens receive. In fact, Singleton said the one service he needed most was counseling.
“I’m not trying to forget Vietnam, I’m trying to learn how to live with Vietnam. It doesn’t go away,” he said. It’s like the Parkinson’s. It may not get worse but it does not go away. It is in the tips of my fingers, it’s in my toes, it’s in my body. Vietnam is mentioned somewhere, somehow, almost every day.”
Jefferson City Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Jessie Jones talks about the “casino admission tax”, which provided $6 million in funding for veteran homes until recently (running time: 1:22)
Jefferson City Veterans of Foreign Wars Commander Jessie Jones laments the veteran homes’ current funding difficulties. (running time: :59)
The Faces of Missouri's Veterans
Joe Bottino
Marines 1950-1959
Korean War Veteran
Marines 1950-1959
Korean War Veteran
Beyanova Kendall
Navy 1998-present
ROTC student at the University of Missouri
Navy 1998-present
ROTC student at the University of Missouri
Marion Ballard
Army 1943-1946
World War II Veteran
Army 1943-1946
World War II Veteran
An examination of how each generation has provided benefits to Veterans.
Ballard was drafted to go to Europe during World War II. He started out in a new artillery division, as a survey specialist to pick target points for on ground combatants.
Bottino had an option of joining the service or going to jail so he decided to join the Marines. He volunteered to fill a marine regiment, a machine gun squad and also served as a radio technician. He was part of one of the first groups to land in Korea.
Kendall is a student at MU and an ROTC participant with a scholarship through the Navy for nursing. Before she came to school, she was an active duty air traffic controller for the Navy for 13 years and served seven months in Afghanistan.