WASHINGTON (September 21, 2005) – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has awarded a grant of $724,000 to the state of Wisconsin for repairs to the state nursing home in King.
"This grant honors our commitment to care for the men and women of Wisconsin who have served in uniform," said the Honorable R. James Nicholson, Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "Our federal-state partnership helps to provide comfortable housing for some Wisconsin veterans."
The $724,000 grant will pay up to 65 percent of the cost of replacing the water pipe system at the King facility. Overall cost of the project is estimated at $1.1 million.
This year, VA provided three other grants totaling $4.9 million for various projects at King, including renovations to the food service facility, the water well system and the ventilation system.
Wisconsin also operates a veterans home in Union Grove. The homes are available to veterans who served on active duty for two or more years or the full period of their initial service obligation, whichever is less. Veterans must have lived in Wisconsin for 12 consecutive months and have honorable discharges or they must have been a Wisconsin resident at the time of entry into military service.
In fiscal year 2004, VA spent over $1.1 billion in Wisconsin to serve more than 474,000 veterans who live in the state. VA operates major medical centers in Madison, Milwaukee and Tomah with outpatient clinics and Vet Centers in many locations. VA health care was provided to 102,000 people in Wisconsin during 2004.
