Located 140 miles away, the Fresno Veterans Home, pictured here, is the closest home Monterey County veterans can attend. (Photo: CalVet)
The Military and Veterans Affairs Office of Monterey County is petitioning the State of California to build and manage a new veterans home in the county.
If approved, the new veterans home would be the ninth in California and both funded and run by the state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, or CalVet. As of yet, the plan is only in the initial phases and a location has not been discussed with CalVet. However, Office Director Jason Cameron says the office hopes the proposed veterans home can be built in proximity to existing veterans care facilities.
There are roughly 20,000 veterans living in Monterey County, but the nearest veterans homes are located 140 miles away in Fresno, 150 miles away in Yountville, or 260 miles away in Ventura. Director Cameron says, “a veteran home in Monterey County would give veterans in need of long-term care the option to stay closer to family and loved ones.”
Additionally, California veterans seeking care in veterans homes face long wait times, usually three to six years. An additional veterans home in the state could alleviate the burdens placed on the current system.
The new veterans home is not the only chance California lawmakers have proposed in recent months. California State Sen. Shannon Grove (R-Bakersfield) announced that her bill, SB 1195, would mandate CalVet to explore the possibility of establishing satellite clinics near current veterans homes on an as-needed basis. The bill was unanimously passed by the California Senate Military and Veterans Committee and is currently being reviewed by the Appropriations Committee.
Raiders can view coverage of all 2022 California veterans bills here.
Author: Christian Southards
Coming from a family with a proud military background and wanting to contribute his writing skills to a worthy cause, Christian began writing for the California American Legion in August of 2020. His father is a 25-year Army Veteran and his grandfather served in the Navy during Vietnam.