Today, Governor Roy Cooper participated in a ribbon cutting for the new State Veterans Home in Kernersville. The facility will provide innovative therapy, health care and rehabilitation opportunities for veterans as well as services to aid them in the transition to civilian life. The Governor was joined for the ribbon cutting by North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Secretary Walter Gaskin, Congresswoman Kathy Manning and other elected officials.
“North Carolina is the most military and veteran friendly state in the nation and we owe a deep debt of gratitude to the brave men and women who have served our country,” said Governor Cooper. “This facility will provide critical health care and rehabilitation services for our veterans as they transition to civilian life and beyond.”
“Veterans served our country, now let us serve them,” said North Carolina Department of Military & Veterans Affairs Secretary Walter Gaskin. “This is a home for our heroes. They have earned and deserve high-quality and comfortable accommodations. Our goal is for them to receive the level of integrity and commitment that our veterans demonstrated while in service.”
The Kernersville facility is the fifth full-service state veterans’ home in North Carolina. The facility will provide 120 beds for veterans in private rooms, allowing them to receive the high-quality care that they earned and deserve. The facility currently employs 65 North Carolinians and will employ 225 at full staff and capacity.
The funding for the facility comes from a $25.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for the construction of the new facility through the State Veterans Home Construction Grant Program funded by Congress in the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Funding bill.
North Carolina is the most military and veteran friendly state in the nation, with a large active military population and more than 750,000 veterans who call our state home. Governor Cooper’s administration has taken action to make sure the veterans in our state can access the services they need and live the full and healthy lives they deserve. And with life-saving Medicaid Expansion set to begin on Dec. 1 in North Carolina, more of our state’s veterans than ever will qualify for critical health care.
In 2022, Governor Cooper encouraged North Carolina based employers to apply for “HIRE Vets Medallion Program.” NC’s participation in the HIRE Vets program reaffirms the Administration’s commitment to supporting North Carolina’s veterans. HIRE Vets medallions are the only federal-level veterans’ employment awards that recognize an organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention and professional development. In 2022, 27 North Carolina companies received a HIRE Vets Medallion Award.
The N.C. Department of Commerce works in close partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor and employs over 50 NCWorks Veterans Services professionals (all of whom are veterans themselves). These professionals, located at NCWorks Career Centers across the state, help connect veterans to employers, as well as to training opportunities. The department also partners with North Carolina For Military Employment (NC4ME) on special hiring events.
NCDMVA, NCDHHS, NCDOT, and the Department of Commerce are working tirelessly to create opportunities for servicemembers and veterans with employment, education and certification assistance and other ways to help our approximately 20,000 military service members transition from active duty to veteran status.
There are more than 800 employees across the five NC State Veterans Homes which have a total of over 550 skilled care beds.
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