WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a $466,000 grant to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for renovations at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke.
"These grants are part of a tradition extending back to the Civil War," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. "This federal-state partnership provides a comfortable home for veterans in a time of great personal need."
Total cost of the project is approximately $717,000, with VA’s contribution making up 65 percent of the total. The renovations are needed to comply with the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In November 2002, VA awarded grants totaling $1.2 million to the Holyoke veterans home for a new roof and other ADA-required modifications.
The Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke is a 274-bed facility that provides hospital, nursing home, domiciliary and specialty care to honorably discharged Massachusetts wartime veterans. More information about the home can be found on the Internet at http://www.state.ma.us/hly/.
Since 1888, the federal government has shared in the cost of veterans’ care in state veterans homes. VA-state partnerships have resulted in the construction or remodeling of numerous state facilities. VA also assists by providing per diem payments to states to offset the cost of veterans’ care. Currently, 114 state veterans homes operate in 46 states and Puerto Rico.
