Associated Press Published

West Virginia's Only State Veterans Nursing Home Cuts Wait List

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  West Virginia’s only state-run nursing home for veterans has slashed its admission wait list by more than half.

Department of Veterans Assistance public affairs coordinator Heather Miles says 55 people currently are waiting to be admitted to the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility. That’s down from 166 in 2013.

Miles tells The Exponent Telegram that people drop off the wait list for several reasons. She says some may decide to go somewhere else while others die before they are admitted.

The Clarksburg facility’s administrator, Kevin Crickard, says the average wait time to be admitted has dropped from one to two years to about six months.

A bill approved by the Legislature this year allows construction of a second veterans nursing home in Raleigh County.