Promise of funding may aid jeopardized veterans' homes in Caribou, Machias

Courtesy / Maine Veterans' Homes via Facebook A 2017 photo shows the MVH home in Machias, where residents, staff and volunteers were gathering for an outdoor event.

Write a Comment

By Jessica Hall

The board of Maine Veterans’ Homes will meet later this month to consider its options after Gov. Janet Mills said she would dedicate $3.5 million in funding to prevent the imminent closure of two nursing facilities that care for at least 70 veterans and their spouses.

The governor’s proposal, along with other funding, would keep the homes in Caribou and Machias open for at least another year, allowing time for the state and the nonprofit to develop long-term plans for the facilities and their residents, Mills said.

The governor’s proposal supports legislation introduced by Maine Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Allagash, and supported by state Sen. Craig Hickman, D-Kennebec, Senate chair of the Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, that lays out a process to ensure the state explores every available option before approving the closure of a Maine Veterans' Home.

“We appreciate the commitment of funding by the administration. This is a step in the right direction,” Maine Veterans Homes said in a statement. “MVH still has serious concerns about the impact of the ongoing workforce challenges in the near and long-term and projected veteran-decline in these rural communities. The MVH board is expected to meet later this month to consider all factors.”

The nonprofit said last month it would close the Caribou and Machias facilities this spring, citing operational losses, a decline in the number of residents and difficulty hiring workers. The two homes have routinely lost about $2 million combined annually for several years, the nonprofit previously said. This year, they are on track to lose $3 million.

The organization expects to close the Machias site April 15, while the one in Caribou is slated to shutter May 1. Neither home will close until all residents are placed at other facilities that can meet their needs.

The planned closures sparked opposition from Mills and other officials.

“Our promise to our veterans is that we will stand by them, just as they stood by us in their service to our state and our nation — and these homes are a small step towards fulfilling that promise,” Mills said. “The veterans who live in these homes, along with their families and the staff, all deserve for them to stay open.”

“The closure of any veterans' home should only be the option of last resort. With this new law, the Maine Veterans’ Homes will have to come before the legislature to seek approval before closing any of these facilities,” Jackson said.

Jackson introduced LD 2001, which unanimously passed out of committee last week and is expected to be considered by the Senate and House this week. Maine’s Congressional delegation has also opposed the closure of the homes.

The Maine Veterans’ Homes were established by the Maine Legislature in 1977 as a state-chartered nonprofit to provide long-term care to veterans and eligible military spouses. Maine Veterans' Homes operates 640 beds across its six facilities, which include homes in Bangor, Augusta, Scarborough and South Paris. The nonprofit is separate from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs.