<p>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 5, 2008</p><p>VA Awards $638,000 to Missouri Veterans Home Peake: Grants Honor VA’s Commitment to Veterans WASHINGTON – To ensure the Missouri state veterans home in Cape Girardeau remains a comfortable and safe residence for veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is awarding a grant worth $638,872 for improvements at the state-run facility. “These grants honor our commitment to care for the men and women of Missouri who have served in uniform,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Dr. James B. Peake. “Our federal-state partnership helps to provide comfortable and safe housing for Missouri veterans in a caring community.” VA’s grants will cover 65 percent of the total cost of the projects. Cost for roof replacement to the State Veterans Home in Cape Girardeau is expected to total nearly $983,000. The Missouri Veterans Home at Cape Girardeau provides medical and skilled nursing care; recreational and rehabilitative therapy; social services and pastoral services. It also has a secured special care unit for dementia care. Last year, VA spent nearly $1.6 billion in Missouri to serve more than 531,000 veterans who live in the state. VA operates major medical centers in Columbia, Kansas City, Poplar Bluff and St. Louis (a two-division facility at Jefferson Barracks and John Cochran), with outpatient clinics and Vet Centers across the state. For more information on Missouri Veterans Home, Cape Girardeau, please visit http://www.mvc.dps.mo.gov/Homes/Site/Cape.html or call (573) 290-5870.</p><p># # #</p>