May 28, 2015

Pavalock Applauds Passage of Bill to Improve Veterans Home

This article was archived from the previous WordPress site. Formatting and media should be close, but may not match the original post perfectly.

Hartford – Connecticut’s Veterans Home in Rocky Hill will receive a number of improvements and upgrades according to legislation cosponsored by State Representative Cara Pavalock (R-77) which passed the House of Representatives this week.

Pavalock says the provisions in HB 6855, An Act Implementing the Recommendations of the PRI Committee Regarding Residential Services at the Veterans’ Home, are overdue and necessary to properly honor and serve the men and women veterans who live in the home.

“Our veterans have sacrificed to serve their country and protect our freedom,” said Rep. Pavalock, a member of the legislature’s Program Review and Investigations (PRI) committee. “Now, in their time of need, we owe it to them to ensure that they have programs and services in place to assist them with quality care and living. I cannot think of a better way to put words into action and show our gratitude than by raising the standards of care for our veterans.”

The legislature’s PRI committee conducted an in-depth study on the home and its services in 2014, and proposed numerous recommendations for its improvement:

Providing better transitional and permanent supportive housing
Improving substance abuse treatment
Increasing accountability of Veterans’ Home finances
Increasing efforts to integrate residents into the community

The bill will provide the opportunity for the Home’s trustees to directly hear the concerns of residents, and give them the responsibility of mandating and enforcing needed changes. Under the measure the trustees will now have more oversight and will be able to share information with the Veterans’ Affairs Commissioner.

A public hearing was held at the Home in March, and more than one hundred veterans, residents, public officials, representatives of veteran advocacy groups, and legislators, including Rep. Pavalock, attended to support these new recommendation proposals.

The bill now heads to the State Senate for action there. This session of the Connecticut General Assembly adjourns midnight on June 3rd.

###