Arizona Representative, Ann Kirkpatrick, introduced a bipartisan bill last week that will designate that veteran nursing care homes built on tribal land qualify for construction funds and per diem grants, a status currently available only to those facilities built on state or federal land.
Arizona has more than 10,000 Native American veterans, but no veteran nursing homes are currently located on tribal land. Construction on tribal land does not qualify for the 65 percent VA construction reimbursement and per diem grants that support the construction of veteran nursing homes on land owned by states or territories.
“Native Americans have a greater proportion of veterans than the general U.S. population,” Kirkpatrick said. “Yet when these veterans return home, they may lack access to the facilities and care they need. Tribal communities are often in remote areas and provide a unique cultural support system, so it’s important to keep veterans near their families when they are in nursing care.”
A recent effort to build a veteran nursing home on the Navajo Nation in Arizona’s Congressional District One revealed that, due to its location, the facility was ineligible for reimbursement of a percentage of construction or per diem costs.
State legislator Albert Hale said, “I am glad that Congresswoman Kirkpatrick and other sponsors have introduced this bill. It will help Navajo veterans and Native American veterans who have served honorably in the United States military. Unfortunately, upon returning to their homelands, due to the remoteness of their residence and due to state and federal law, many Native American veterans do not have access to services readily available to veterans living outside Indian reservations. The bill will remove federal law that does not allow reimbursement of construction cost and reimbursement for services to veterans rendered at veterans homes built on Indian reservations. When this bill becomes law, the veterans home proposed and ready for construction in Chinle, Arizona, can be built with assistance from the United States government. The law will promote construction of veterans homes on Indian reservations and bring such facilities and services closer to Native American veterans. Access to facilities and services will finally become available without the expenses of long-distance travels to off-reservation facilities. At the very least, we owe our veterans facilities and services that are located and available close to their homes.”
Arizona’s Congressional District One has 12 Native American tribes — about 23 percent of the district’s population. The Navajo Nation and Inter Tribal Council of Arizona have passed resolutions of support of Kirkpatrick’s bill, which is cosponsored by Republican Reps. Tom Cole and Paul Cook and Democratic Reps. Ron Barber, Dina Titus and Beto O’Rourke.