S.C. Veterans Affairs secretary outlines veterans‑home expansion, seeks county oversight authority

Major General Todd McCaffrey, Secretary of the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs, told the Legislative Oversight Subcommittee on Oct. 12 that the department is taking on oversight of the state veterans home enterprise, pursuing three additional veterans homes, and seeking legislative authority to inspect county veterans affairs offices and require minimum county staffing.

McCaffrey said the agency has assumed responsibility for five of six operating state veterans homes after a transfer from the Department of Mental Health and will assume the final facility, Stone Pavilion in Columbia, on July 1, 2025. "This is exactly the right thing to do for veterans," he told the panel, while noting that third‑party vendors operate direct resident care at the homes.

The department told lawmakers it has federal grant applications for three additional homes. Two applications are approved and placed on the federal prioritization list for a 104‑bed home in Horry County and a 104‑bed home in Orangeburg; the agency has submitted a third application for a Lexington County replacement for Stone Pavilion. McCaffrey said the State has appropriated the required 35% match for those projects and that the match funds are held in interest‑bearing…