An editorial from The Inter-Mountain
ELKINS, W.Va. — Earlier this year, legislators agreed to consider establishing a second state nursing home for West Virginia veterans of military service. That came after lawmakers were told of a long waiting list for vacancies at the existing facility in Clarksburg.
But now, only a couple of months after legislators were told of the problem, it seems to have been nearly eliminated. What gives?
Just last year, there was a waiting list of 166 veterans to get into the home at Clarksburg. Delays of as much as two years between applying and being admitted were not uncommon.
Legislators were told in February it was even worse than that. It was not uncommon for veterans to spend three years on the waiting list at Clarksburg, one proponent of a second facility said. He estimated 150 veterans were waiting for admission.
But on Monday the state Department of Veterans Assistance reported only 55 people were waiting to get into the Clarksburg home. The average delay between application and admission had been cut to six months.
It appears much of the progress was because many veterans stopped trying to get into the home, either out of frustration or because they died.
Lawmakers ought to be concerned about the sudden turnaround…
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