INFORMATION IN THIS PRESS RELEASE PROVIDED BY THE SC GOVERNOR'S PRESS OFFICE

COLUMBIA, S.C. - On Friday, January 5, Governor Henry McMaster announced his Executive Budget for fiscal year 2024-2025. The budget includes more than $81 million in support of Veterans nursing homes, $5 million to the Military Enhancement Grant Program, and $1.3 million for improvements to the M.J. Dolly Cooper Veterans Cemetery in Anderson. 

"This Executive Budget recommends a $76 million appropriation to the South Carolina Department of Veterans Affairs for the operation, maintenance, repair, and renovations of the state veterans nursing homes and to provide the state financial match requirements to construct a new veterans nursing home in Lexington County, says McMaster. "In addition, a $5 million appropriation is recommended to fund repairs to the Stone Veterans Pavilion in Columbia, which will continue to be operated by the Department of Mental Health until 2025."

AGENCY RECOMMENDATIONS

Department of Veterans’ Affairs (SCDVA)

• $49 million non-recurring funds for capital improvements to veterans nursing homes, including $40.6 million for the state match for the future facility located in Lexington County. The remaining funds will be used to make improvements at existing veterans nursing homes with the exception of Stone Veterans Pavilion, which $5 million in non- recurring funding has been recommended in the budget for the Department of Mental Health;
• $25.5 million recurring funds to support the operations of four existing veterans nursing homes and the fifth facility under construction in Sumter County, as part of the transfer of veterans nursing homes operations from the Department of Mental Health to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs as prescribed in the DHEC Restructuring bill. If the DHEC Restructuring bill had not been enacted, veterans nursing homes would have still required additional resources;
• $5 million non-recurring funds for the Military Enhancement Grant program, which South Carolina communities with military installations can access funding to support their local bases;
• $1.3 million non-recurring funds to construct a second committal shelter used for internment and burial services at the M.J. “Dolly” Cooper Veterans Cemetery;
• $954,244 recurring funds to implement the recommendations of the Boston Consulting Group and contract with third party vendors to provide support for the operations of the veterans nursing homes, such as resident billing, auditing, cost reporting, and adverse incident reviews (DHEC Restructuring bill);

• $866,392 recurring funds for retention and recruitment of critical agency personnel to provide oversight of the veterans nursing homes, as recommended by the Boston Consulting Group on the transfer of veterans nursing homes operations (DHEC Restructuring bill);
• $182,000 non-recurring funds to expand the programming of the Military Child Education Coalition in South Carolina;
• $169,945 non-recurring funds to contract for personnel services – a service officer and a program coordinator – to provide South Carolina veterans support when receiving care at the Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center in Augusta, Georgia, which is the closest VA facility for many South Carolina veterans.

For a copy of the governor's executive budget, along with his letter to the General Assembly and a detailed explanation of each allocation, click here. For a copy of a presentation outlining the governor's priorities, click here.