November 11, 2026 3:50 a.m.
Marking Veterans Day, Oregon’s U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and House members Cliff Bentz and Val Hoyle are calling on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to prioritize funding for the construction of the Oregon Department of Veteran’s Affairs proposed Roseburg State Veterans’ Home project and renovation of the Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home, a 154-bed assisted living facility in Lebanon.
The lawmakers wrote to VA Secretary Doug Collins, “Continued investment in Oregon’s veterans’ care infrastructure is essential to meet the needs of our state’s geographically diverse veteran population, particularly in rural Oregon,”
A joint release said currently, ODVA operates two high-quality, award-winning veterans’ homes. These facilities provide skilled and long-term nursing, memory, and rehabilitative care to veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents, which allows veterans to live in a culture of community with fellow veterans and those with shared military experiences. To build on the success of the state’s veterans’ homes, the lawmakers are urging the VA to prioritize fully funding the agency’s Priority 1 State Home Construction List, including the Roseburg Veterans’ Home and Edward C. Allworth Veterans’ Home projects.
Roseburg has a sizable veteran population, with current estimates suggesting that Douglas County is home to over 10,000 veterans, many of whom served in the Vietnam War era or earlier. In addition, the lawmakers said a new facility in the community would provide an affordable, high-quality, long-term care option for the estimated 68,000 veterans across the VA Southern Oregon Healthcare System service area, which includes Jackson, Josephine, Klamath, and Lake counties in Oregon as well as Siskiyou and Del Norte counties in California.
Previously, Merkley, Wyden, and Hoyle sent a letter in support of the Roseburg State Veterans’ Home project, which remains in the preliminary stages of preconstruction. With Oregon doing its part to make it a reality, the bipartisan group of lawmakers is now urging the VA to work with Congress and fully fund this long-awaited project.