Two East Bay lawmakers are pushing to tackle the staffing crisis that has kept dozens of beds closed at the Rhode Island Veterans Home, introducing legislation that would require state agencies to analyze the problem and develop a plan to fix it.
Sen. Linda Ujifusa (D-Dist. 11, Portsmouth, Bristol) and Rep. Susan Donovan (D-Dist. 69, Bristol, Portsmouth) introduced the Rhode Island Veterans Home Staffing Support Act of 2026 this week. The companion bills — 2026-S 2753 in the Senate and 2026-H 8124 in the House — would direct the Department of Administration, in coordination with the Department of Health, the Office of Veterans Services and Veterans Home leadership, to conduct a comprehensive workforce analysis and produce a corrective action plan to safely reopen closed beds.
The state-operated Bristol facility provides skilled nursing and residential care to veterans and has a licensed capacity of 208 beds. A 32-bed wing known as Foxtrot closed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as recently as 2025, 50 beds total remained out of service due to ongoing shortages of nurses, certified nursing assistants and support staff.
“Everyone agrees that we must not let Foxtrot remain closed,” Ujifusa said. “But there has been a cycle since COVID of hiring and then losing staff that has forced up to 50 beds to stay closed, and we must break that cycle.”
The workforce analysis called for in the bill would examine wage competitiveness, commute and housing barriers, scheduling flexibility and other relevant factors.
“This bill simply requires the Department of Administration, in coordination with the Department of Health, the Office of Veterans Services, and Veterans Home leadership, to conduct a comprehensive workforce analysis … and make a corrective action plan to safely reopen closed beds,” Donovan said.
The legislation has drawn support from patients, veterans’ groups, labor unions and other advocacy organizations. Wally Coelho, past state commander of the Disabled American Veterans East Bay Chapter and a frequent volunteer at the home, said the bill reflects a promise owed to residents.
“As a veteran and longtime volunteer at the home, I know how much these veterans have sacrificed for our country and they deserve the care and dignity we promised them,” Coelho said. “This bill keeps moving us forward.”
The push to fully staff the Veterans Home has been building for some time. Earlier this year, Rep. Samuel Azzinaro, who chairs the House Veterans Affairs Committee, identified full funding of the facility as one of his top priorities for the 2026 legislative session. Ujifusa has a long record of sponsoring veterans-related legislation in the General Assembly.
The Senate bill has been referred to the Special Legislation and Veterans’ Affairs Committee; the House bill to the Veterans’ Affairs Committee. Written testimony may be submitted to slegislation@rilegislature.gov for the Senate bill and HouseVeteransAffairs@rilegislature.gov for the House bill. Testimony becomes a public document.
