Urging the Governor to Conduct a Veterans Home Workforce Analysis to Guide Policy and Budget Decisions

WHEREAS, The Rhode Island Veterans Home in Bristol is operating below licensed bed capacity, including not being able to open a thirty-two (32) unit Foxtrot wing for almost six (6) years, due to persistent workforce shortages affecting nurses, certified nursing assistants, and support staff; and

WHEREAS, Operating below licensed capacity does not properly address the needs of Rhode Island veterans, causes undue stress on families and healthcare workers, and reduces federal per diem reimbursement and increases per-resident costs, compounding the fiscal and human consequences of each year the crisis goes unresolved; and

WHEREAS, The staffing crisis has persisted in part because policy and budget proposals have not been grounded in comprehensive analysis of what compensation and workforce structures are actually required to recruit and retain qualified staff; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the Rhode Island Senate hereby urges and requests that:

(1) The Governor direct the Department of Administration to conduct a comprehensive analysis of why the Veterans Home cannot hire and retain enough qualified staff to operate at full capacity, examining factors including: wage competitiveness, shift differentials, retention incentives, housing and commute barriers, scheduling flexibility and career advancement opportunities;

(2) The Department of Administration, based on that analysis, develop a corrective action plan including a timeline that identifies how to reach full occupancy; and

(3) The Governor's Fiscal Year 2027-2028 budget proposal for the Veterans Home reflect and take steps to implement the corrective action plan's recommendations; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of state be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Governor of Rhode Island, the Director of Administration, the Director of the Office of Veterans Services, the Veterans Home Administrator, and the Chairs of the Senate and House Finance Committees.