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Nevada veterans agency outlines shortfall in homes, staff and cemetery needs ahead of 2027 budget requests
Summary
The Nevada Department of Veteran Services told the interim legislative committee it needs funding for veteran homes, staff and cemetery improvements, citing long waiting lists at both homes and a VSO-to-veteran ratio far above recommended levels.
The Nevada Department of Veteran Services told the Legislative Committee on Senior Citizens, Veterans, and Adults with Special Needs that it will seek planning and capital funds in the next legislative session to expand veterans homes, upgrade cemeteries and hire more veteran service officers.
"To serve Nevada’s veterans by honoring their remarkable legacy and by connecting them to their earned benefits and services," Director Mary Divine said, summarizing the department’s mission and priorities. She told members Nevada counts about 215,000 veterans and that roughly 7% of Nevada adults are veterans, figures she said are above the national averages for similar metrics.
Divine described capacity shortfalls at state-run skilled-nursing homes. The Southern Nevada (Boulder City) home currently has about 180 beds, largely in dual-occupancy rooms; a planned remodel would reduce that to roughly 120 private rooms to meet federal small-home guidelines. A proposed Decatur facility would add approximately 128 beds for Southern Nevada. “We currently in Nevada have about 650 veterans that need skilled nursing care,” Divine said, and the department reported waiting lists typically of 15–20 veterans at Boulder City and about 44 at the Northern Nevada home.
The department also described workforce strain. Divine said NDVS has about 265 authorized full-time positions with roughly 229 filled and identified clinical vacancies — CNAs, RNs and LPNs — as the largest staffing challenge. She said the state’s current ratio of veteran service officers (VSOs) to veterans is about one to 9,000 and cited a benchmark of roughly one VSO to 3,500 veterans as a more functional goal.
Divine highlighted recent claims work and economic outcomes: in one quarter NDVS recorded roughly 1,600 new actions and 448 positive outcomes, with an increase in veterans’ disability payments of about $545,000 per month and retroactive payments totaling just over $1.4 million for that period.
Cemetery operations were also a focus. Divine said Boulder City Cemetery is one of the nation’s busiest veteran cemeteries and that NDVS will seek design funding to expand roads, water service and an additional committal chapel because families currently must sometimes travel more than a mile between interments and facilities are strained during peak summer months.
Committee members asked about the VSO ratio and possible remedies. Senator Cruz Crawford asked for clarification on the one-to-9,000 figure; Divine confirmed the population divide and staff said a one-to-3,500 ratio is a recommended target. The department signaled it will prioritize planning and staffing requests for the 2027 session and offered to provide data supporting those asks.
What’s next: NDVS said it will include budget-driven requests for planning and design money for new and expanded veteran homes, additional veteran service officers and capital improvements for cemeteries in its upcoming budget submissions.
