New Minnesota Veterans Home Projects Not Receiving 2020 Federal Funding

Three new potential veterans home projects, including one in Bemidji, are now paused due to them not receiving 2020 federal funds.

According to a press release, The Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) was notified that none of Minnesota’s new State Veterans Homes projects – to be located in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston – will receive federal funding this year.

New Veterans Homes are a combination of federal granted (65%), state bonded and pending community-provided monies (35%). During the 2018 Legislative Session, Governor Dayton and the Minnesota State Legislature allocated $32 million in Chapter 214, HF 4425 of the Omnibus Bonding Bill for three new State Veterans homes, where the Bemidji Veterans home project would receive $12.4 million.

“While we are disappointed that none of our new homes’ projects secured critical federal support in this funding cycle, we recognize that Minnesota is competing with other states’ projects for the same pool of federal money,” said MDVA Commissioner Larry Herke. “We remain committed to these projects and
will continue to pursue these funding requests going forward.”

With the demand for grant funds exceeds available funding, the VA maintains a rolling project funding priority list. The list is updated annually and projects that do not receive funding remain on the list until they are funded, or the applicant withdraws the application.

The three new Minnesota Veterans Homes projects – seeking $79 million total – are ranked the 39th, 40th and 41st projects on the Fiscal Year 2020 Grants Priority List Group 1.