NH Delegation Announces $564K in Emergency Funding for NH State Veterans Home to Protect Residents & Staff from COVID-19
(Washington, DC) – Today, U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced that the New Hampshire State Veterans Home will receive $564,287 in emergency funding to prevent, combat and mitigate COVID-19 in the facility. Specifically, the award was allocated through government funding legislation that was passed by Congress and signed into law in December and will help support efforts to protect the health and well-being of Veterans Home residents and staff. A senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Shaheen supported the inclusion of these funds during negotiations for the government funding legislation.
“I’m pleased the New Hampshire State Veterans Home is receiving this timely and urgently-needed federal funding,” said Senator Shaheen. “Veterans at the facility have been hit hard during the COVID-19 pandemic, and their friends, family and loved ones have suffered tragic losses over the past year. Those who have courageously served our nation in uniform – and their caretakers – deserve every possible resource to stay healthy and safe during this crisis, and that’s why I worked to secure this funding. I’ll continue to push for the swift distribution of these funds and relief our veterans need down the line during this pandemic.”
“I am heartbroken by the loss of life that we’ve seen at the New Hampshire Veterans Home due to COVID-19, and my prayers are with all the family and friends of those we lost,” said Senator Hassan. “This additional funding will help to support the NH Veterans Home’s efforts to continue to mitigate the risk of COVID-19, and I will keep working with the NH Congressional Delegation to ensure federal support for our Veterans Home.”
“Our Granite State veterans have sacrificed so much for our state and our country and it is our responsibility to ensure they receive the care and support they need,” said Representative Kuster, a senior member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee. “I was proud to help secure these funds in the December government funding bill, and I’m thrilled to see these federal dollars heading to the New Hampshire State Veterans Home. I will continue working in Congress to ensure NH veterans receive the care they deserve and to secure the funds our state needs as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.”
“The loss we have seen at the New Hampshire Veterans Home is simply tragic,” said Representative Chris Pappas. “These federal funds will help keep patients, families, and staff safe as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. On the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, I have pushed to increase federal resources for our veterans and examine oversight of the state veterans homes, and I will keep fighting to ensure our those who have served get the care they have earned. Reinforcements are on the way to our veterans, and I will work to make sure these and more funds get to the Veterans Home as quickly as possible.”
In addition to this award allocated through the government funding legislation that passed Congress and became law in December, the delegation-backed American Rescue Plan includes additional emergency funding for state veterans homes across the country, including the New Hampshire State Veterans Home, that will be awarded at a later date.
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