Board reverses decision to close veterans' homes after bill signed

It may have been April Fools' Day, but the decision on April 1 by the Maine Veterans' Homes (MVH) board of trustees to reverse their vote to close the Machias and Caribou homes was serious and welcomed by many veterans, their families and supporters of the homes in Washington and Aroostook counties who had opposed the planned closures. The decision came one day after legislation to keep the homes open was signed into law by Governor Janet Mills. Residents, families and staff at Machias and Caribou were notified of the board’s reversal this past week.
The new law makes clear the intent of the legislature in the creation of the Maine veterans' homes; lays out a public and transparent process for any proposed closing of homes; and puts back into statute the six municipalities, including Machias and Caribou, where Maine veterans' homes must be located. Governor Mills has dedicated $3.5 million in the budget change package, which is currently being considered by the legislature, to fund the bill, as a stopgap measure to keep the homes open. That amount is based on the combined annual deficit for the Caribou and Machias facilities of $3 million.
"For weeks, the veterans, their family members and the staff at the Maine veterans' homes in Caribou and Machias have had to grapple with enormous uncertainty and mixed messages as the legislature worked to pass legislation to save the two facilities," says Senate President Troy Jackson of Allagash, who sponsored the legislation, in a release. "Today, folks can finally breathe a sigh of relief now that Governor Mills has signed LD 2001 into law and that the board has reconsidered its closure vote. As we look to the future, we must continue working to ensure that the Maine veterans' homes can continue serving veterans and their families in rural Maine, fulfilling the promise made by the legislature more than 30 years ago."
"This vote is a much deserved victory for our veterans, their families and the staff at the homes in Caribou and Machias. Our veterans have earned the right to receive care near their families in the communities they love," says Governor Mills. "With the work of Senate President Jackson, the unanimous support of the legislature and now a vote from the MVH board of trustees, we will keep these two homes open, keep these veterans where they are, keep the staff employed, and work together to ensure that we serve the needs of veterans, particularly those in rural Maine, in the long term."
The MVH board had voted in October to close the two homes, citing significant financial losses, a declining veteran population and staffing shortages. However, the legislature was not informed of the board's decision until late February.
Senate President Jackson then sponsored a bill to provide one-time funding to cover shortfalls and requiring that no veterans' home could be closed without legislative approval. That bill was then amended in the Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee, with Senate Chair Craig Hickman of Winthrop working on the amendment.
Some legislators, along with MVH board members, had not supported the original bill, arguing that it would be a "hostile takeover" of the veterans' homes by the legislature. However, Senator Hickman noted that the legislature would not have veto power over the MVH board under the amended bill, but the board would have to make its case to close a home to the legislature and the public. Hickman's statement is supported by an opinion from Attorney General Aaron Frey, who wrote that the legislature "may exercise oversight over the operations of the MVH, including imposing constraints on its closure of facilities," since the veterans' homes and the MVH board are governmental entities created by the legislature.
Following the signing of the bill into law, Senator Hickman stated in a release, "When we lead from the front -- into the wind, into the tide or through the fire -- we can achieve great things. With our votes today, by enacting this important piece of emergency legislation, we will achieve a great thing -- we will keep veterans in their homes. It is part of our moral obligation."
With the board's April 1 vote to keep the homes open, MVH CEO Kelley Kash commented, "We greatly appreciate the allocation and assurance to work together over the next year to find a more equitable and adequate funding solution, which is essential to preserving access to quality care and support for veterans in future years." He added, "Similarly, we are very concerned about the shifting demographics across the state in the coming years and its impact on veteran populations served and workforce supply."
The amended bill establishes that veterans' homes must be located in specific municipalities in Washington, Aroostook, Cumberland, Kennebec, Oxford and Penobscot counties; adds three civilian members to the MVH board; requires that the board seek permanent funds to ensure the continuous operation of the homes; requires that the board submit an annual report to the governor and legislature with audited financial statements, statistics and any recommendations; establishes requirements that the board must follow when approving the discontinuation of services at a home; and requires the board and other agencies to convene a group of stakeholders to develop a plan for the long-term operation of the homes, with a report to be presented to the legislature by next February.
If the MVH board authorizes any discontinuation of services at one of the homes, it would have to notify legislative representatives within three days of the decision, and then within 10 days of that notification a public meeting, with public comment invited, would have to be held, with the board presenting information concerning why a home is no longer necessary and its plan for the care of those veterans at the home.
The naming of the locations where the homes have to be located had been included in state law previously, but the locations were removed in an amendment that was approved by the legislature in 2016.
Along with state officials and residents of Washington and Aroostook counties, Maine's congressional delegation was also opposed to the closure of the homes, and U.S. Senator Angus King applauded the board's vote to keep its Caribou and Machias sites open. "I'm deeply relieved that the leadership of Maine Veterans' Homes was able to find a solution allowing the continued operation of their Caribou and Machias facilities," says Senator King. "Maine's veterans have made immense sacrifices to defend our nation, and they deserve the absolute best care possible."
U.S. Senator Susan Collins also applauded the announcement. "At a time when there is already a severe shortage of nursing home beds in rural areas, this misguided plan would have displaced more than 80 residents, forcing Maine veterans to seek placement as far away as Bangor and Augusta. I heard from numerous families who were worried that Maine Veterans' Homes' decision would make it nearly impossible for them to regularly visit their loved ones," says Senator Collins. "My own father, a World War II combat veteran, spent the last months of his life at the veterans' home in Caribou, where he received excellent care. I know how much he liked being with other veterans, and I know how important it was for him to be close to our family."
Maine Veterans' Homes was established by the Maine Legislature in 1977 as a state chartered nonprofit to provide long term care to veterans and eligible military spouses. Maine Veterans' Homes operates six facilities throughout the state located in Augusta, Caribou, Bangor, Machias, Scarborough and South Paris.