TOPEKA – Governor Laura Kelly Wednesday announced that a new veterans home serving Northeast Kansas will be built in Topeka adjacent to the Colmery-O’Neill United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center.
“As the daughter of a Purple Heart recipient, I am committed to honoring the service of Kansas’ veterans and their families,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Kansas increased our investment in and relentlessly pursued federal funding for this project, and we are now one step closer to ensuring service members across the region have the support and care they deserve.”
This home will include 72 private rooms, divided into “households” and “neighborhoods” to increase community and to provide essential resources and amenities, including therapy, medical care, and a chapel and meditation room. One of the households, consisting of 18 beds, will be a dedicated unit for memory care.
Construction of the home is dependent on funding from the federal VA. It is anticipated that the VA will announce the priority list of the projects to be funded through the grant program for the next fiscal year in Spring 2023, at which time Kansas will learn if its project has been selected for a construction grant in fiscal year 2024.
The Topeka location was chosen among six properties submitted for consideration. The decision was made after a stakeholder engagement process, including representatives from Veterans Service Organizations. Feedback was reviewed and potential properties were then scored for a final selection.
“After much deliberation, our panel chose Topeka foremost because of its centralized location to better support our Veteran population in NE Kansas, but also because of its proximity to VA services, medical care, and local amenities that will help Kansas veterans feel at home,” said Director Brigadier General (Retired) Turner. “We’re looking forward to continuing to move these plans forward and see this project come to fruition.”
The veterans home is estimated to cost $49 million, with bipartisan state leaders already securing the $17.2 million in matching funds required by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.