CLEVELAND, Tenn. — The number of seniors who also are veterans is expected to grow over the next five years, creating a need for a veterans home to serve a six-county Southeast Tennessee region, supporters said.

“A 120-bed VA home for long-term care with an added day care to accommodate up to 80 individuals would serve our area well,’’ said Larry McDaris, Bradley County veterans services director.

A task force has formed in Bradley with the aim of bringing such a nursing home here.

About 50 people attended as the task force met at American Legion Post 81 last week and adopted a name, the Southeast Tennessee Veterans Home Council.

The proposed home would serve Bradley, Hamilton, McMinn, Meigs, Polk and Rhea counties, said Post 81 adjutant Sid Heidel.

The Bradley County Veterans Affairs Office says 45,861 veterans were living in the six-county area in 2007. Of that number, 16,394 were between ages 65 and 84. The number of veterans in that age group is expected to increase to 17,944 by 2014.

The group elected Mr. Heidel and County Commissioner Mark Hall as co-chairmen. Mr. Hall and commissioners Ed Elkins, Jim Smith and Howard Thompson, all veterans themselves, were appointed in August to work with the task force.

The goal is to find funding and alternate locations to raise Bradley County up the U.S. Veterans Affairs Department’s priority list, Mr. Heidel said.

The home is expected to cost $21.5 million, with 65 percent coming from the federal government. That would mean a local commitment of $7.5 million, and organizers say they don’t expect the state to help.

An anonymous donor has offered $3 million, leaving $4.5 million to be raised from other government or private sources.

And while a county-owned site is available, Mr. McDaris said other locations are being sought. Chances of moving up the priority list improve with more choices, he said.

The group meets again in October. It is scheduled to hear Nov. 13 from Greg Holmes, chief information officer for the Tennessee State Veterans Home Board.

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