Oklahoma Veterans Commission considering closing 126 beds, but no veterans would be turned away

The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs has six veterans homes in the state, five of which are open. (Photo by Kennedy Thomason/Oklahoma Voice)

OKLAHOMA CITY – The Oklahoma Veterans Commission is considering removing 126 beds across three veterans homes from its inventory.

If approved, the beds would no longer be available in the Claremore, Ardmore and Sulphur facilities. In a proposal during the June 10 meeting, commissioners were asked to consider decertifying those beds to “bring supply into closer alignment with local demand.”

The proposed plan would recover about $1.4 million in lost revenue on unoccupied beds, concentrate existing staff and reduce reliance on contract staff, such as nurses.

Rob Arrington, Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs’ director of homes, said it would not affect any current or incoming residents.

“We’re not going to be turning anybody away,” Arrington said. “…There would still be plenty of beds to serve everyone that came to us. I mean, we wouldn’t have to not admit anybody. We certainly wouldn’t have to discharge anybody.”

The goal is to have 90% occupancy in each home, he said. The current state-wide occupancy rate is 76.4%.

It would ensure if a veteran leaves for treatment at a hospital, the federal VA would reimburse the 10-day bed hold for the resident, he said. That would recoup the current loss on bed hold revenue.

If implemented, Arrington said it would take a couple of months to decertify the beds. However, the beds could be recertified or reopened. The recertification process would take about six months, he said.

Commissioner Kevin Offel, who works as a director and chairman for several private equity portfolio companies, said not enough data has been collected to make a decision.

“I don’t like the optics of it, right?” Offel said. “It feels like we’re moving the goalpost to get a different measurement. I understand, mathematically, in terms of the 90%. I don’t like that we have less beds available to our veterans, even though, per capita, we may be absolutely higher than Texas, or whatever.”

Oklahoma has 1,423 beds in its six facilities for about 300,000 veterans, Arrington said during the meeting. Texas has about the same number of beds for about 2.5-3 million veterans, he said.

Larry Van Schuyver, state commander of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, said decertifying beds is a “terrible” idea.

“The veteran homes were never put in place to make money,” Van Schuyver said. “They were put in place to serve veterans, our most… vulnerable veterans and needy veterans.”

Van Schuyver is a former commission chairman. He served as a commissioner for 12 years before he claims Gov. Kevin Stitt fired him, along with the rest of the commission.

Arrington said other states, such as Idaho, have been successful in downsizing its available beds.

Although faced with the possibility of decertifying beds, a new home in Sallisaw is being built. It will be a 175-bed facility, the same as the Talihina home, which it is replacing.

The Talihina home was closed in October. Sallisaw is on track to open its doors this fall, Arrington said.

Interest in being admitted is based on location and newness of the facility, he said. The homes in Lawton and Norman, which have more demand, typically have a waiting list, he said.

“We anticipate that Sallisaw will be in high demand, just based on, based on the veterans [that] are there, the newness of the facility, the amenities that it’ll offer,” Arrington said.

In February, Stitt called for flat budgets across state agencies.

In an effort to comply with the governor’s orders, Executive Director Greg Slavonic did not ask the legislature for a budget increase. During the 2023 legislative session, Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City, granted the ODVA a “one-time” bailout of $11.4 million for the agency’s 2024 operating budget.

Slavonic said during the meeting the budget for fiscal year 2025 is “good.” However, Slavonic said he does not want the agency to have to go to the legislature with its hand out again.

“But with this plan here, this gives us a little bit more flexibility if things did not go the right way,” Slavonic said.

The commission tabled discussion and said it would address the matter at a later date. A majority vote would be required to pass the proposal, meaning all five commissioners must vote in favor of it. The 9-member commission currently has four vacancies.

The Commission will have a special meeting Thursday to potentially appoint a new executive director. The next regular meeting is scheduled for July 12.

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