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Legislative Analyst's OfficeAnalysis of the 2002-03 Budget Bill |
The Department of Veterans Affairs operates the Veterans' homes of California in Yountville, Barstow, and Chula Vista. The Yountville facility provides five levels of care, ranging from residential to acute health care. The Barstow home provides residential services and skilled nursing care. The Chula Vista home provides residential services and will add skilled nursing services. The budget includes requests totaling $2.7 million for capital improvements at the existing institutions. The estimated future cost to complete these projects is $8.3 million. The projects include the following:
We recommend the Legislature adopt budget bill language authorizing $743,000 of general obligation bond funds for the three Yountville projects contingent on receipt of federal funds.
The budget includes three projects at the Yountville home funded by $743,000 of general obligation bonds, approved by the voters through Proposition 16 (Veterans' Homes Bond Act of 2000) and $1,378,000 of federal funds. According to the language of the proposition, the bond funds are available for the 35 percent state share to match federal grant funds. At the time this analysis was prepared, no federal funds were available for the projects. It is unclear when federal funds will be available or what funding priority the federal government will give the Yountville projects. Consequently, we recommend the Legislature adopt budget bill language requiring the federal funds be available before the bond funds can be spent.