Tallahassee, Florida – The Legislative Budget Commission of Florida has recently moved to meet the requirements of its veterans by adding an extra $3.5 million to guarantee that assisted living facilities and nursing homes for veterans have adequate resources. Specifically allocated for the 2024–2025 fiscal year, this financial increase would assist eight veterans’ facilities around the state address rising food and contractual service costs like housekeeping.
The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs underlined a serious financial gap that drove the demand for more money. Deputy Executive Director Bob Asztalos claims that the department was hit with a double whammy of growing food prices and a dramatic occupancy rate rise—which stands at 96% capacity. Asztalos noted that these elements taken together taxed the current budget allotments.
“Really, there’s two drivers for these increased costs in contracted services. One is the inflationary cost in food, which we’ve all seen when we go to the grocery store,” he explained during his presentation to the lawmakers as reported by Florida Phoenix. “But the big driver is that these are utilization contracts, and we went from 70% to our nursing home is full. We have 307 more veterans in our homes that we are taking care of.”
This extra money on top of the $33.8 million previously allocated for similar expenses earlier in the year. The choice was taken following careful analysis of the facilities’ needs and financial limitations, therefore highlighting a more general dedication to assist people who have served their country.
During the session, questions were raised about financial management and resource allocation. Democratic Representative Christine Hunschofsky from Broward asked why the department hadn’t transferred extra money from staff pay to offset these growing expenses. Asztalos answered, exposing continuous attempts to close notable staffing shortages:
“We have still not hired all of our positions,” Asztalos said. “We are actually doing really well as far as hiring. In July of 2022, we had 539 vacant nurse, RN, LPN, CNA positions; we are now down to 328. So, we filled 211 vacant positions, but we still have vacant positions.”
Part of a larger legislative session, the funding decision involved the budget commission reviewing 15 amendments from different state agencies, showing a proactive approach to handle financial difficulties and guarantee sufficient support for important services, including those for the veteran community of the state. Veteran’s advocacy organizations and local politicians have generally praised the action for honoring the state’s commitment to those who have served.
