Governor secured $60 million in funding for project;
Replaces main building built in 1936

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES – Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham joined New Mexico veterans on Tuesday to break ground on new residences at the New Mexico State Veterans’ Home in Truth or Consequences, fulfilling her pledge to build new state-of-the-art facilities for those who served. Gov. Lujan Grisham secured a $60 million investment from the Legislature during the 2022 session that enables the construction of six residences that will provide safer, more private, and more comfortable accommodations for residents.

“New Mexico is proud to be home to so many veterans who selflessly answered the call of duty, making sacrifices to protect our country and preserve the freedoms we enjoy today,” Gov. Lujan Grisham said. “I am proud to stand here today breaking ground on these state-of-the-art new facilities for New Mexico veterans and their spouses, delivering on a promise I made last year to improve the quality of life for the heroes who live here and ensure that they receive the best care in the highest quality facilities.”

Managed by the New Mexico Department of Health, the New Mexico State Veterans’ Home main building was originally built in 1936 and has not been updated since the 1980s. The facility has experienced maintenance issues for many years, including an outdated and inadequate hospital corridor model; undersized resident rooms; inadequate ventilation and non-ADA compliant restrooms.

The updated residences will consist of six new homes that will include 12 private suites where each resident will have a private room with a bedroom, personal living area, and a fully accessible bathroom. Residents will also enjoy social interaction in communal spaces such as living room, kitchen, dining, and other outdoor and common indoor spaces. The goal of this project is to create a neighborhood community with homes designed to support dignity, social connection, and inclusion for our senior veterans.

The first three homes will be completed in fall of 2023, which will allow all residents currently living in the main building to relocate. The other three homes will be finished in early 2024.

“These great homes for our veterans are long overdue,” said state Representative Harry Garcia, who championed the funding during the legislative session. “Our men and women in uniform have served our country and state all over the world at great sacrifice to themselves and their families. It’s time we show them our sincere appreciation.”

“Every veteran at the New Mexico State Veterans’ Home is special,” said Acting NMDOH Secretary David R. Scrase, M.D. “We are thrilled to be able to upgrade this facility for those who protected our freedom and ensure their needs are met, especially at the most basic level of having a home-like environment.”

Gov. Lujan Grisham secured $40 million in 2022 legislative funding for the project, as well as $20 million in bond funds. In 2021 the state also applied for the federal State Veterans Home Construction Grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which would reimburse 65% of the state’s costs to update the facilities.

The New Mexico State Veterans’ Home is a skilled nursing facility licensed by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The home, with 145 licensed beds, serves honorably discharged veterans and spouses, parents of children killed in military service, and certain members of military reserve units.