Montana applied for federal grant money this week to help build a new unit of the Southwest Montana Veterans Home. Gov. Gianforte vetoed a line item in the state’s budget earlier this year to fund the project with state money.
In a statement announcing the application, Gov. Gianforte said the state is “committed to ensuring Montana veterans receive the resources they need.”
Gianforte struck down $7 million of state money for a new cottage at the vets home in May saying the federal government should help carry the cost. However, the state had already missed the 2023 deadline to apply for federal funding when the governor used his line-item veto.
That means the project will have to wait until 2024’s funding is decided next summer and will compete with dozens of other VA projects. That likely puts actual receipt of those funds years down the road.
Ryan Lynch, a Democratic state senator from Butte, helped secure the state funding before Gianforte’s veto. He said the state had plenty of money to pay for the project on its own.
“He had over $2 billion in surplus, of which we tried to put $7 million in to stand up a sixth cottage to take care of those veterans and needs. Long and short of it, it unnecessarily delayed years of services for those that are most critically in need,” Lynch said.
The vets home is a licensed nursing care facility owned by the state. It currently holds 44 veterans and spouses in five cottages. A sixth cottage would raise the capacity to 72 and be specialized to help treat veterans with Alzheimers, dementia, and other special needs.
