Editor’s note: The Board of the Trustees for the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was scheduled to meet on Feb. 9 after this newspaper’s deadline. At that meeting, a final vote to accept a proposed design for a new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was scheduled to be taken.

The following story demonstrates the legislative support for an amended plan for the new Home. We will amend this story online at www.thereminder.com.

 WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS – Sixty-six state representatives and 16 senators from across the commonwealth have signed a letter calling for the Baker Administration to reconsider current plans for a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, but one prominent legislator did not support the message.

 The letter in part read: “We respectfully request that the Administration examines different alternatives prior to the State Home Construction Grant application deadline on April 15th. We request that you consider the following alternatives: (1) reconsider the Payette bed count recommendation; (2) consider an established plan for a behavioral health unit; and (3) allow input and opinions from members of the Legislature consistent with the outlined timeline.”

Locally the letter was supported by state Reps. Jake Oliveira, Patricia Duffy, Carlos Gonzalez, Todd Smola, Michael Finn, Lindsay Sabadosa, Brian Ashe and Bud Williams. The local senators in support include John Velis, Eric Lesser, Adam Gomez and Jo Comerford,

Velis wrote and organized the effort. The letter to the governor was sent on Feb. 2.

The letter also said in part, “We are deeply troubled and greatly concerned with the Administration’s support for a smaller, 192-bed facility, and the inability for the Legislature to provide input prior to the VA State Home Program’s April 15th deadline. We are hopeful that the Administration will explore different avenues to address particular needs of veterans in the commonwealth with input from the Legislature within the confines of the established timeline.

“Most importantly, we are concerned that the Payette recommendation of a 192-bed Home is not sufficient to support the future needs of veterans, given the prospect of future conflicts or wars with near-peer adversaries or veteran population could increase exponentially to a level that is impossible to accurately predict. It is unrealistic to foresee a smaller number of beds needed at the Soldiers Home, conversely, it is reasonable and eminently responsible to foresee a need for a greater number of beds. If the choice is between filling a vacancy or turning a veteran away, the choice is abundantly clear.

“It is equally unreasonable for us to anticipate how many National Guard and Reserve members of our armed forces will achieve veteran status in years to come. As we have unexpectedly witnessed in recent months, activation and reliance on National Guard members has escalated due to the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic.

“Additionally, we are concerned that the Veterans Affairs Demographic Study does not sufficiently analyze the future of veteran needs. Payette’s recommendation of 192 beds is based on the study’s limited analysis of what the veteran population will be only until 2035.

“The Home we build now will serve veterans decades after 2035 and we must ensure that future veterans will receive the service they rightly have earned. (The history of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home clearly illustrates that 20 years after it was originally constructed in 1952 it was rendered insufficient and an addition was constructed in 1972 in light of evolving veteran needs.) In recent wars, we are still learning the true impact of deployment, such as the health consequences from traumatic-brain injuries, amputations, and burn pits.”

State Rep. Joseph Wagner did not agree with the letter and wrote in part, “Respectfully, I do not share your point of view that the state Legislature has an inability ‘to provide input prior to the VA State Home Program’s April 15th deadline.’ You and I, along with a number of our colleagues, serve on the Special Joint Oversight Committee on the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, before which members of Governor Baker’s administration have appeared to provide testimony and to answer questions from Committee members. We have had an opportunity to query Governor Baker’s representatives on all matters related to the Soldiers’ Home, and to engage in a dialogue with them. Additionally, the Legislature will have the opportunity to discuss and debate, when filed by the governor, the state matching authorization necessary to construct a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. We will also consider a series of reforms relating to the Home. As a point of information, beginning with the COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, I have been engaged in a continuous dialogue with Governor Baker and Secretary Sudders on issues related to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. My ongoing conversations with them have been informative and productive.

“While some may disagree with the Payette recommendation for approximately 200 beds in a newly-built Soldiers’ Home, the report achieves this conclusion based on a comprehensive and data-driven analysis. I believe it is reasonable that any recommendation to increase the bed count should likewise be supported by a comprehensive and data-driven, rather than subjective, analysis.

“I agree with your point that the future behavioral health needs of those who reside or may receive services at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is important. I would add, and I’m sure that you would agree, that the current and future behavioral health needs of all veterans is critically important.”