Central Nebraska Veterans Home offers state of the art support

The Central Nebraska Veterans Home offers services and comfortable places to live for the state's servicemembers.

Those who spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony Saturday say that this is a greatly needed facility.

“It is so important that Nebraska military veterans all across the state have access to services and the benefits they deserve,” Senator Deb Fischer said. “This new veterans home opens at a time when veterans of the Vietnam conflict in particular are most in need of our support.”

The $121 million home has 225 rooms, a chapel, a lake, and various medical services to reduce trips to local hospitals. It is nearly 340,000 sq ft and sits on 67 acres of land.

Vets who will be living in the new facility say they are somewhat concerned about moving from Grand Island, but they are excited to have a new sense of privacy.

“Oh I like it,” Vice President of the Veterans Council Jose Treko said. “I like the fact that I get my own room. Since I moved to the home in Grand Island, I have always had a roommate so it is going to be quite the experience just to have my own room.”

Now veterans will have one central place to live and have support.

“We continue to look at the state in other ways to make Nebraska a veteran friendly state,” Governor Pete Ricketts said. “Again, with the help of the legislature we've been able to pull together the division of veterans homes with our Department of Veterans Affairs to create a one stop shop.”

Tours of the facility are being given to the public and residents will move in later this fall.