Congressman Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1) announced the Long Island State Veterans Home (LISVH) in Stony Brook, New York, will receive a total of $17,080,090 in federal funding appropriated by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) Act supported by Congressman Zeldin. The projects at LISVH will include the construction of a tele-medicine suite and on-site PPE storage facility, the expansion of medical gas storage capacity and the facility’s morgue and the addition of a negative pressure room to each nursing unit.
Following Congressman Zeldin’s urging, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopted changes to the grant application and disbursement process to maximize LISVH’s use of these funds. These changes included:
- Extending and expanding normal grant filing deadlines to allow a rolling application process;
- Allowing grants to cover COVID-19 prevention and mitigation costs already expended by State Veterans Homes prior to making their application; and
- Allowing the Department of Veterans Affairs to defer or waive the state matching grant requirements normally required to award a State Home Construction Grant.
“Like so many of our local nursing homes, the Long Island State Veterans Home was hit hard by the outbreak of coronavirus,” said Congressman Zeldin. “As LISVH works to support so many of our nation’s heroes, it’s critical they have the resources they need to help our local veterans live out their golden years safely.”