Veterans Home asks lawmakers for staff funding as census, waitlist grow

Kim McKay, commandant of the New Hampshire Veterans Home, told the House Finance Division III on March 14 that the facility has reduced its admission waitlist but continues to struggle with staffing and rising prescription costs.

McKay opened by saying the home is licensed for 250 beds and budgeted for 225. Today the facility’s census is 35 residents with four more scheduled to arrive; another 36 applicants are in process. She said improved admissions casework has cut the typical application-to-admission wait from more than a year to about three to six months from the date an application is submitted.

Division members pressed McKay on staffing. She said the home deliberately holds some positions empty until census increases are warranted but that nursing and licensed nursing assistant (LNA) vacancies remain the priority. The home’s overall vacancy rate was described as about 35 percent; McKay said she deliberately holds positions such as housekeeping and laundry vacant until…