A Missouri lawmaker is trying again to advance legislation to benefit veterans nursing homes by increasing casino taxes and legalizing sports betting.
State Rep. Dave Griffith (R-Jefferson City) told the Missouri Veterans Commission that he plans to reintroduce legislation to raise the $2 casino admission fee to $3 and send the difference to veterans’ nursing homes, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The newspaper noted that a “combination of funding shortfalls and staffing woes have left hundreds of beds empty” at five of the state’s seven veteran’s homes. In 2018, the overall census of all facilities was approximately 1,200 but that is now down to 765, the paper noted. Gov. Mike Parson (R) has increased wages among state employees, and officials with the veterans’ commission said that has helped decrease staff vacancies.
“LeadingAge Missouri can support creative approaches like this to better finance long-term care in the state because all Missouri long-term care communities are facing financial challenges due to higher costs and low reimbursement,” William B. Bates, CEO of LeadingAge Missouri, told McKnight’s Long-Term Care News on Tuesday.
The veterans nursing homes are not funded through Medicare or Medicaid, but rather receive a mix of funds from the state’s general revenue, the US Department of Veterans Affairs, and a portion of casino fees and medical marijuana taxes. The facilities are run by the state Veterans Committee, which is housed in the Department of Public Safety.
They are experiencing problems as other nursing homes in the state are, said Nikki R. Strong, executive director of the Missouri Health Care Association, which counts the veterans facilities as members.
“We’re all providing the same care,” Strong told McKnight’s on Wednesday. “They’re regulated and paid differently, but we all have the same staffing shortages. Our labor costs and other costs have skyrocketed. We’re all struggling to pay these increased costs and increased funding is necessary to recruit and retain quality staff.”
