BUILDING ADDITIONAL VETERANS HOMES IS ALL ABOUT LOCATION.

SACRAMENTO - For more than 100 years, California's only veterans home was in Yountville, in the Napa Valley. As the veteran population has aged, the need to build more veterans homes to accommodate their needs has become apparent.

During the past five years, two new California veterans homes have opened in Barstow and Chula Vista, with plans for additional homes under way.

Gov. Gray Davis and the California Department of Veterans Affairs are firmly committed to building new homes and are giving strong consideration to the recommendations from veterans groups and local officials. But location, particularly the availability of facilities important to veterans, is a prime concern.

In September 2000, the governor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on veterans homes recommended that any future homes be located in close proximity to a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical center and available qualified health care professionals. In addition, the task force recommended that future sites be conveniently located for potential members and their families.

The governor's Commission on Veterans Homes is giving weight to these factors as it meets to review alternative site locations. The commission's final report should be presented to the governor and the Legislature next year.

The law currently calls for the next veterans home to be built in the city of Lancaster. Although this location offers some advantages, it also presents CDVA with some concerns that cannot be resolved in the near future, even with the best of intentions of the city.

The nearest USDVA Medical Center is more than 60 minutes away, and that is on a day when traffic flows smoothly.

This is significant because CDVA often needs to transport veterans to these centers for medical services not available at veterans homes. Additionally, health care facilities in the area have experienced problems in hiring and retaining qualified nursing staff.

Further, this location is a considerable distance from where most of the veterans - and their families - in Los Angeles County actually live. Potential members of the veterans home may not wish to put so much distance between themselves and their families.

While a city may benefit from the establishment of a veterans home, ultimately, the most important measure of the correct location of a Veterans Home should be the benefit and services it provides to veterans. Through their service to our country, veterans have earned the right to the best possible care available.

The governor and the Legislature will determine where the next veterans home will be built. When the time comes to start construction, CDVA's hope is that proximity to a USDVA Medical Center, availability of medical staff, and the convenience of potential home members have been considered by all.

``Serving veterans'' has been CDVA's mission since 1946. This statement held true then and still applies today. CDVA continues its commitment to assisting our veterans to reenter civilian life when they return from their tours of duty, providing home loans to acquire a piece of the American Dream they've defended for all, and offering a place where they can live fulfilling and productive lives in their later years.