[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6386793,"mediaKeyId","2117600-8c4a61d96d2a96e7c6ab85328fb09170","parentId",2117600,"title","ND Department of Veterans Affairs outlines programs, revenue and requests equity funding and one FTE in Senate hearing","audioSeconds",4217,"startMs",5106000,"endMs",9323000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2117600-8c4a61d96d2a96e7c6ab85328fb09170&start=5106&end=9323","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2117600-8c4a61d96d2a96e7c6ab85328fb09170/thumbnail_5106000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6386793/North-Dakota/ND-Department-of-Veterans-Affairs-outlines-programs-revenue-and-requests-equity-funding-and-one-FTE-in-Senate-hearing","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6386793-9e1f28d053410f68739d7a6e769d09e1/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177715&Signature=krZtw8DYGW6SLUmddKJXa0-Pl3GYU39qklrnjcSAQAOPTisrGyArW0QhZK6C5L~CiIGJ23wt6QUqoA3hipFTCCaiczYeaihe9vpaGt65fO6KzNiioRbpSVQZIcQM2n9J85LERQkOfLTvIFd2kFJX1Ax~pmXNrwUIRkBFLjF470c2RdZUAa1jkgioTq4hi21GrlpF3HkDdFpI36Sn6tfh16enk7PWR7ySIRUKVDeKFTjjU-H5HtlVVsxKixTnQNvlrrnC8Fc00c7z~sANpwiLQq1kXe-1BTpzzR5-kPY2IFwTkFxHLLf5GqkGNhaXRmrWMp1K8hNGSJxaqC2BN0ZzJw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources, ND","date","2025-01-14T00:00:00Z","article","Lonnie Wongen, commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs, testified to the Senate Human Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill No. 2025 and provided an agency overview that combined program descriptions, fiscal outcomes and several budget requests.

Wongen’s testimony covered the agency’s statutory mission, grant and loan programs, the state’s highly rural transportation program, the state approving agency for GI Bill benefits, the Postwar Trust Fund and outreach items such as commemorative coins and veteran‑focused publications.

Lede: Wongen told the committee the department brings federal dollars into North Dakota at scale — including compensation, pension and medical dollars — and asked for targeted equity funding for veteran service officers and one additional full‑time equivalent position to sustain workload.

Nut graf: The commissioner listed program outputs (grants, loans, transportation trips and GI Bill approvals), described recent accomplishments (Vietnam veteran “welcome home” coins and expanded transportation), and asked the Legislature to restore one position cut in 2017 and to approve equity funding to retain trained county veterans service officers (CVSOs). He also requested modest continuing authority for ARPA-funded projects and flexibility for intern funding.

Wongen emphasized the economic impact of federal benefits administered with the department’s assistance. \"Bottom line up front, North Dakota Veterans Affairs brings money into North Dakota,\" he said, later quantifying that every dollar invested returns about $769 to the state.

Programs and results: Wongen briefly summarized the department’s work: processing benefit claims and appeals, training and supporting CVSOs, operating a large highly rural transportation program for veterans’ medical appointments, administering a grants-and-loans program funded from the Postwar Trust Fund, managing the state approving agency that vets GI Bill programs and approving apprenticeship and on-the-job training, and distributing commemorative coins and certificates.

He gave specific activity and fiscal measures: the department processed 615 claims in the current biennium, handled about 1,300 appeals with a reported $26,921,307 in retroactive awards won for veterans, and cited roughly $1.3 billion in VA funds that flowed into North Dakota during 2022–23, including $616 million in compensation and pension and $625 million in medical spending.

Postwar Trust Fund and grants: The commissioner described the Postwar Trust Fund as a permanent fund that produces grantable earnings; he said grants and loans to veterans this biennium included 161 grants totaling $234,000 and 44 loans totaling about $125,000 to date. He also explained that a separate revolving loan fund exists for loans and that Postwar Trust Fund principal must be appropriated by the Legislature to be spent on resident-benefitting projects at the Veterans Home.

Transportation and workforce: Wongen outlined the state’s transportation programs (DAV vans, the highly rural program covering 36 counties and tribes and ARPA-funded pilot expansions). He said the highly rural program is the department’s busiest and reported that veterans-related transportation has logged more than 500,000 miles in the current biennium. He also described workforce pressures: a 30% staff reduction in 2017 followed by a 300% increase in workload, and cited an average compensation gap (roughly 34% lower) compared with comparable positions elsewhere.

Requested funding and priorities: Wongen sought the Legislature’s assistance on several specific items:
- Equity funding for county veterans service officers: he requested $243,000 to raise VSO pay toward regional medians and retain staff who perform appeals and claims work that returns federal dollars to the state.
- One FTE position: restore a position cut in 2017 to reach prior staffing levels and sustain appeals and benefits work.
- Carryover authority for ARPA transportation funding and continuation of certain one-time projects (e.g., scanning DD‑214 records), and modest funding for interns to support outreach and web work.

He also described other initiatives: the Fisher House land acquisition (donated or purchased at federal expense, with construction by Fisher House Foundation), veterans treatment courts (stating the department supported a court in Grand Forks and is working with Cass County to establish another), the commemorative coin programs (funeral coins and a Vietnam veterans welcome-home coin funded through donations), and suicide-prevention efforts including distribution of gun locks and advocacy for 988 and coordinated statewide response.

Wongen defended the department’s performance metrics and staff outcomes: he said the department wins about 80% of appeals they take to the VA — a rate he contrasted with a lower national average — and argued that retaining trained CVSOs and appeals staff is essential to continue that work and keep federal funds flowing into the state.

Questions from senators touched on coin and grant mechanics, Postwar Trust Fund spending constraints, how county-level benefits flow into local economies, the Fisher House siting process and the department’s engagement on veteran homelessness and suicide prevention.

Ending: The committee closed the public hearing on Senate Bill No. 2025 after Wongen’s testimony; no committee vote was recorded in the transcript.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Senate Appropriations - Human Resources Division Jan 14, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Commissioner Lonnie Wongen testified in favor of Senate Bill No. 2025, describing the Department of Veterans Affairs’ programs, revenue brought to the state through VA benefits, the Postwar Trust Fund and requests for equity funding for county veterans service officers and one additional FTE.","taxTitle","Appropriations - Human Resources Division, Senate, Legislative, North Dakota","taxId",28901,"location","North Dakota","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6386800,"North Dakota Veterans Home seeks more operating flexibility, nursing equity and one-time repairs in Senate hearing",4111,413000,4524000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2117600-8c4a61d96d2a96e7c6ab85328fb09170&start=413&end=4524","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2117600-8c4a61d96d2a96e7c6ab85328fb09170/thumbnail_413000.jpg","/articles/6386800/North-Dakota/North-Dakota-Veterans-Home-seeks-more-operating-flexibility-nursing-equity-and-one-time-repairs-in-Senate-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6386800-1ab2d24a939406ffdd38231f55081190/orig.mp4?Expires=1771177715&Signature=K4LPN3e3EXBFyJeyzPKJel7mVWhNfhuwAN3cATlaJQU1J5DHT6QNLC0cppm3Ud7GWtf-HFM5erBOh4G-QrGv0eWb6qFVxYbNt4418NL4WzHQ97mlfcYUqynSPQHxyt-wzQYup5g1C1IMsSXrMnJcc5G3rjr3TPT~A6ibDMQ0xiCvWidxjw40i~guFUh-tMM6eiwiMfw9U21y~qu7dRsDIxBcZmqvcKKNc5yCVy0cHDiDZKbz3AH0ccNI2OAVntxtSgbL~sbXRvRC9BA5VfPY8cixdw-LC9dkmxKyoSerdp5ESUyn70A0TIbh2dRpB-xeu980DKeum5DeBK3E6anYjg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The North Dakota Veterans Home asked the Senate Human Resources Committee to approve Senate Bill No. 2007 and several changes to its appropriation, citing persistent staffing shortages, rising pharmacy and medical costs, and deferred facility needs.

Kristen Luedenberg, chief financial officer at the North Dakota Veterans Home in Lisbon, and Dane Bridal, the facility’s administrator, testified in a public hearing held by the committee.

Lede: Luedenberg told the committee the home's current biennium budget is $30,178,230 and said federal and state funding pressures — including changes in what the Department of Veterans Affairs requires the home to pay — are straining the facility’s finances and its ability to staff care positions.

Nut graf: The testimony combined budget detail, operational problems and a list of requested one-time capital projects and policy changes. Officials asked the Legislature to (1) approve multiple one‑time purchases and repairs, (2) add special-fund authority to cover increased bids on a garage/storage project, (3) allow a $400,000 transfer from salaries to operating in the current biennium to cover contract nursing, (4) add language permitting meals for essential staff who shelter in during emergencies, and (5) provide $275,000 in special-fund authority for a nursing equity pay adjustment intended to help close local wage gaps.

The most immediate operational pressures described in testimony were workforce and cost-shifting from the VA. \"We have a lot of financial pressures being put on us by the Department of Veterans Affairs,\" Luedenberg said, explaining that recent VA agreements require the home to pay for some mental-health services, dental care for veterans who are 70% or more service-connected, and routine medical services and medications that were previously covered by the VA.

Luedenberg provided specific figures the committee can use to evaluate the fiscal impact: she said VA per-diem payments vary by resident type and that for veterans with 70–100% service-connected disability the VA pays about $491 per day, of which, after applying rent and other offsets, \"we only get roughly $50 a day.\" For other veterans in the facility she said the home receives about $144 per day and is not required to cover the additional medical costs that the VA now shifts to the home for higher service-connected residents.

Staffing shortfalls and contract labor: Luedenberg described persistent nurse and aide vacancies that have forced the home to rely on contract nursing and overtime. She said the home began the biennium with 12 vacant certified nursing assistant (CNA) positions, two registered nurse (RN) vacancies and one licensed practical nurse (LPN) vacancy; by the end of the reporting period several CNA slots remained open and the RN/LPN vacancies had not been filled. She told senators that contract agency staff often require minimum 13-week guarantees and are currently two to four times the cost of in-house staff.

Capital and one-time requests: The testimony listed multiple one-time requests and project status items the home seeks from the Legislature, including completed and pending work. Highlights provided by Luedenberg:
- Mill and overlay project: awarded and completed in fall; expected to be $175,000 under original budget. She also asked the committee to approve $1,100,000 (included in the current biennium spending as one-time funding) noted earlier in testimony as part of capital spending.
- Resident garages and storage units: initial bids came in higher than anticipated; current work has footings and walls poured and framing starting; Luedenberg asked for a $175,000 one-time transfer from the Melvin Norgaard fund to cover increased costs and requested an emergency clause so funds could be spent this biennium.
- Various equipment and facility replacements: med carts, medication refrigerator, water‑heater replacement for laundry, card access readers, a new skid-steer loader, carpeting replacement, painting and miscellaneous equipment (each item and its requested one-time amount were listed in testimony).

Budget totals and sources: Luedenberg said the home’s current funding sources total approximately $30.2 million and are a mix of special funds ($23,273,156), general funds ($6,378,710) and federal funds ($526,364). She described the governor’s recommendation as including most of the home’s optional items but said she still requested equity funding for nursing staff and a marketing appropriation not included in the governor’s package.

Requested policy language and transfers: Luedenberg asked the committee to remove section 3 of the bill — language related to a monthly housing stipend for the administrator — and to add language permitting a $400,000 transfer from the salaries line to the operating line in the current biennium to cover contract nursing expenses. She also asked for authority to provide meals to staff who shelter inside during blizzards or similar emergencies: \"We're requesting to have a section added to our bill, allowing us to provide meals for these essential employees who go above and beyond in times of crisis to support our residents and maintain operations,\" she said.

Nursing equity proposal: To stem turnover and better match local market wages, Luedenberg proposed a $1-per-hour equity increase for nursing-department staff and asked the committee to add $275,000 in special-fund authority for that purpose. She said market wages in neighboring facilities often exceed what the state can offer; she cited examples — an RN offer $12.14 higher elsewhere and a CNA making $26 per hour who could only be offered $21.11 at the Veterans Home.

Questions from senators focused on scope, reimbursement and prioritization. Senator Mathern asked whether the facility could change rules to provide geriatric psychiatric care for non-veterans; Bridal said the home faces restrictions and would respond after further review. Chairman Devere and other senators pressed on whether marketing made sense while staffing gaps remain; Luedenberg said skilled nursing is full and cash-flowing and marketing is intended to sustain the pipeline into skilled care while also recruiting staff.

Why it matters: The home combines state operations and federal VA relationships that determine both revenue and required services. Committee members heard that shifts in VA billing and per-diem responsibilities materially affect the facility’s finances and that difficulty recruiting RNs, LPNs and CNAs is increasing reliance on expensive contract labor—raising operating costs and increasing turnover.

Ending: Committee staff closed the public hearing on Senate Bill No. 2007 and scheduled the fiscal note (FIRP) for later consideration; no committee vote was recorded during this testimony.

","Officials from the North Dakota Veterans Home testified to the Senate Human Resources Committee in support of Senate Bill No. 2007, outlining staffing shortages, rising costs shifted from the VA, and requests for one-time capital projects and authority to reallocate existing salary funds for operating and contract nursing costs.","actionData","errors"]

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ND Department of Veterans Affairs outlines programs, revenue and requests equity funding and one FTE in Senate hearing

North Dakota Veterans Home seeks more operating flexibility, nursing equity and one-time repairs in Senate hearing