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Department of Veterans Services seeks staff and operational funding; plans opioid-treatment program funded from settlement proceeds
Summary
The Department of Veterans Services asked lawmakers for staff, equipment and operational authority across its central office, two state veterans homes and cemeteries, and described plans to use opioid settlement funding for a veteran-targeted treatment and outreach program.
The Nevada Department of Veterans Services (NDVS) presented budget enhancements to the subcommittee that cover veteran service officer staffing, grants management capacity, IT and equipment replacement, and capital and operations items for the state veterans homes and cemeteries.
Why it matters: The department asked for additional internal capacity to manage growing outreach and benefits claims demand, and it described a $700,000-per-year opioid-treatment outreach award funded through the Fund for Resilient Nevada (FRN). Committee members focused on audit recommendations, Medicaid billing and tracking, and the use of the department’s gift account to incubate outreach positions.
Director Mary Devine and executive officer Joe Thiele summarized key requests across several budget accounts. For BA 2560 (central NDVS functions) requests included a veteran service officer in Henderson (E683), a management analyst for grants and fiscal oversight (E685), equipment replacements and AV/teleconferencing upgrades, and a planned grant-funded health program manager to run opioid treatment outreach tied to FRN funding (the testimony cited about $700,000 per year for outreach and services). Thiele said the FRN opioid award is intended to provide outreach and services for veterans in need of opioid and substance-use treatment and that the department is coordinating with DHHS and community partners.
On veterans homes, NDVS sought continuing authority for staff at the Southern Nevada State Veterans Home (BA 2561) including HR support, technical replacements, kitchen and building repairs, resident lifts and mobility equipment, and training funds. Officials said they are working through audit recommendations from a 2024 internal audit (GFO review) — the department described partial implementation of those recommendations and ongoing work to improve Medicaid enrollment, billing and revenue collection procedures.
Committee members asked for clarity on which positions were funded from the department’s veterans gift account (BA 2564) versus general fund positions. Director Devine described the gift account as an incubator for pilot outreach programs and said the department is working to convert effective pilots into regular budget items; she listed a small number of VSOs and a tribal representative currently paid from the gift account and said the proposed health program manager for opioid outreach will convert from grant funding into state authority if appropriate. Devine also emphasized that some contractors are retained because prospective staff prefer contract terms for personal reasons.
Jacob Clodfelter (management analyst) said NDVS has met regularly with DHHS’s Fund for Resilient Nevada and the Opioid Treatment Authority to coordinate referrals and to design benchmarks; the department plans to hire a grant-funded health program manager to stand up the program prior to receipt of FRN funds so outreach can begin in July if funding arrives on schedule.
On contracting and the Northern Nevada State Veterans Home, lawmakers asked about oversight of the private operator (HDG). Devine said NDVS has increased on-site oversight, weekly meetings, and additional management controls and that the department will continue evaluating whether and when to convert the facility to direct state operation.
No formal votes were taken; NDVS agreed to provide follow-up materials and to continue working with legislative staff on audit findings, Medicaid billing and gift-account transparency.
