BUSH PLAN THREATENS VETS ADMINISTRATION'S PROPOSED CUTS COULD HIT 3 LONG-TERM CARE HOMES IN STATE.

Byline: Lisa Friedman Washington Bureau

California's three long-term care homes for elderly U.S. veterans could lose $18 million under a Bush administration plan to withhold funds for nearly all disabled veterans, state officials say.

If Congress approves the change, the shortfall would hit existing facilities in Barstow, Chula Vista and Yountville, probably forcing a reduction in services. The policy also could put a budget squeeze on state veterans' long-term care facilities under development in West Los Angeles, Lancaster and the Ventura County community of Saticoy, according to critics and officials.

And, some say, it sends a painful signal to soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

``Destruction'' is what 75-year-old Bill Jackson, a longtime resident of the Veterans Home of California in Barstow, predicted the cuts would mean for Veterans Administration nursing home care in Southern California.

``We are in a grand position now. We can offer things and we can keep our head above water,'' he said of the Barstow 400-bed home, used by veterans from throughout San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Los Angeles counties. ``We want to keep the best possible care we can offer to our soldiers.''

The budget proposal could translate into a $1.4 million loss for Barstow alone, and a likely reduction of services at all three state VA nursing homes, according to California officials.

Advocates warn that eventually, aging former servicemen and women might even be turned away as homes are forced to shut their doors.

Currently, the federal government pays $59 a day for every patient in one of the nation's 120 state VA nursing homes.

The daily payments are credited to each patient's bill and help offset the costs of care. In California, they add up to about $21.8 million each year, state officials said.

Most of that money goes to Yountville and Chula Vista, where the facilities are larger and thus able to care for more patients. Barstow gets about $1.8 million of the reimbursement funding.

Under Bush's plans, however, the feds would only pay for disabled veterans whose injuries are directly connected to their service in the military.

Other veterans who are merely old, infirm or have no service-related ailments would no longer be eligible.

That means California would be left with about $3.8 million in federal reimbursements, including about $447,022 for the Barstow home, state Department of Veterans Affairs spokesman Robert Glazier estimated.

``It would be a significant impact,'' Glazier said.

U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Jim Nicholson told Congress the proposal is aimed at ensuring the agency serves those most in need of help - disabled and indigent veterans.

But advocates argue anyone who served in the military should be eligible for the same assistance. They estimate homes could lose as much as a third of their operating budgets.

Alfie Alvarado, president of the National Association of State Veterans Homes, said the per diem, or daily payments, allow homes to help elderly veterans as well as take in homeless vets.

``You can't provide this high level of quality care and not have the per diem,'' Alvarado said. Without it, she said, ``there are some homes in the nation that could not end up being financially viable.''

Peter Gayatan, a deputy director at the American Legion, was even more pessimistic about veterans' fate under the proposal.

``Some of them could be put out on the street,'' he said.

About 2.4 million of the nation's 4.4 million military veterans live in California. San Bernardino County is home to about 123,500 veterans. More than 429,900 veterans live in Los Angeles County, including about 170,000 in the San Fernando Valley.

Just how many veterans from outside San Bernardino County use the Barstow facility remains unclear, but both Glazier and Karen Blue of the Woodland Hills-based Veterans Advisory Board said it is used by Los Angeles residents.

``It affects everybody,'' Blue said of the per diem cuts.

Jackson, for one, said he is livid about the proposal. A U.S. Army sergeant during the Korean War, Jackson said he believes the government is breaking a time-honored implicit pact with every man and woman who joins the service.

``It has always been, 'Put down the shovel and come fight. We'll take care of you,''' he said. Now, he said, ``When the boys get home, they forget who they are.''

The Barstow facility accepts any veteran over the age of 62 or with a disability. Currently, the homes do not even classify the residents by VA disability ``priority'' levels, something that could make it all the harder to sort out whom should receive the daily grants if the budget plan passes.

In addition to the federal reimbursements and funding from the state, Barstow residents also pay depending on the level of care they receive.

Those in independent living facilities, for example, pay 47 percent of their monthly income up to $1,200 while those requiring skilled nursing care pay 70 percent of their monthly income up to $2,500.

Glazier said he is confident that California's congressional delegation and others in Congress will beat back the proposal. Recently, Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, moved to protect the per diem.

The House, however, has remained silent on the issue. House Veterans Affairs Chairman Rep. Steven Buyer, R-Ind., has said that with a lean wartime budget, VA services must focus on the most needy.

With or without the per diems, Glazier said California will continue to provide top-quality long-term care to its veterans.

``A lot of our veterans that live in the homes, they don't have other family members. This is where they're living with their friends and comrades,'' he said. ``This is their life, and California is committed to care for them.''

Lisa Friedman, [phone]

lisa.friedman(at)langnews.com