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February 8, 2012 10:08 am PDT

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Tribe

July 28, 2010

Jewish War Vets Push for West L.A. Veterans’ Home

by Jessica Pauline Ogilvie

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Steve Rosmarin, a long-time Valley resident, recently gave up his Sherman Oaks home of 12 years for a temporary relocation to Lancaster. Within the next few months, he plans to move again to West Los Angeles.

But the 82-year-old veteran of World War II and the Korean War isn’t daunted by the changes. In fact, it was in part through his long-term efforts and the efforts of the Jewish War Veterans (JWV), for which he has twice served as state commander, that his next home, the Veterans Homes of California—West Los Angeles, exists at all.

The facility, which opened in June, is housed on a 19-acre plot of land on the VA’s Westside medical campus. With 396 beds — 84 dedicated to residential care, 252 to a skilled nursing facility and 60 for veterans with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease -— it is one of the largest veterans’ homes in the country.

Deeded to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in the late 1880s, the plot of land on which the home now stands was designated for the care of the country’s veterans. But some community members didn’t want to let it go without a fight, so the JWV stepped in.

“The hospital is expensive and valuable property, and there were always different groups of people trying to get the property to be handed over to commercial use,” Rosmarin said.

So he and the JWV, a national organization established in 1896 to assist all veterans in need of support, lobbied local and national officials to ensure that the land was preserved for those who had served in the country’s armed forces, and to get construction going on the much-needed home.

“It took a lot of lobbying on behalf of the JWV,” he said of the group’s nearly 20-year effort, “and we were very successful.”

Construction for the $253 million project began in July 2007, and a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on June 14, Flag Day.

The new home is greatly needed. According to the Los Angeles County Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, there are between 380,000 and 411,000 veterans in the Los Angeles Area, making it one of the largest veteran populations in the country. And while there are veterans’ homes in Yountville, Barstow, Lancaster, Ventura and Chula Vista, there was nothing available for vets in the Los Angeles area unless they were willing to relocate. 

According to Louis Koff, administrator for the Veterans Homes of California — West Los Angeles, the Westside facility is the first of its kind. 

“We are the first home to be built on the [VA] site, and to be delivering services through the VA and the state together,” he said.

Those services will include everything from mental-health care to dental care. Residents will have access to the VA’s medical staff as well as staff of the nearby UCLA hospital system.

“Many of our medical positions will be staffed by the VA,” Koff said. “The medical care will be some of the finest possible.”

Funding for the construction of the building was split between federal and state dollars, Koff said. Once residents begin moving in, the state of California will cover the cost of services. Residents who have an income will pay for about 50 percent of their own care, Rosmarin said.

Veterans looking to move into the home must meet a few minimum requirements: They must be residents of California, either 62 years old or disabled, and have received an honorary discharge from the military.

According to Koff, the staff of the home hope Rosmarin and other residents will be able to begin moving in by August.

Once there, they’ll find that they still have access to some of their favorite activities — members of the JWV and the American Legion, which was also a champion of the West L.A. home, both plan to establish posts on site.

That way, Koff said, “Members can join and participate, so we can continue to have members working with their groups on common issues.” 

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