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Committee hears cleanup bill to clarify eligibility, modernize admissions at Nebraska veterans homes
Summary
LB419 would modernize statutory language governing admission and veterans aid, remove an arbitrary age threshold and allow state service officers to file applications; Department of Veterans Affairs said changes will help serve veterans more efficiently but staffing and waiting lists remain constraints.
Sen. Dan Linooski introduced LB419 at the request of the Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs as a statutory cleanup bill intended to clarify eligibility for state veterans homes and to modernize language around veterans aid applications.
The bill would remove the statutory age threshold for admission to veterans homes and focus eligibility on whether an applicant "is in need of long-term care," according to the department's director, John Hilgert. "What we want to use for criteria is the need of the individual," Hilgert told the committee, explaining the change would allow veterans or spouses who require skilled long-term care to be eligible regardless of age.
LB419 also clarifies that state service officers may submit Nebraska Veterans Aid applications on veterans' behalf and adds other language updates the department requested. Hilgert described pending agency amendments (AM606) to clarify application frequency rules and a narrow exception for funeral-expense assistance.
Committee members asked about fiscal and capacity implications. Hilgert said there is a waiting list for some care levels and that capacity is constrained primarily by staffing rather than beds. He described recent and planned adjustments at the Eastern Nebraska Veterans Home: conversion of 30 assisted-living beds into skilled beds and the creation of 24 single-room assisted-living beds to meet demand. Hilgert said the department recently added capacity and continues hiring to serve more veterans.
No fiscal note was presented during the hearing. Senators and the department discussed the department's historic role and eligibility criteria; Hilgert noted the first state veterans home was established in Grand Island in 1887 and said the bill updates antiquated language while reaffirming service eligibility for Nebraska National Guard members.
Sen. Linooski asked the committee to advance LB419 with the department's amendment. The committee did not take a final vote during the hearing.
