In Florence, Colorado, just a few miles east of Cañon City, there is a nursing home that exists for one reason: to honor a promise this country made to the men and women who served in uniform. It is called the Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons-Florence — though most people in Fremont County just call it the Florence VCLC. It serves veterans, the spouses of veterans, and Gold Star family members from across this region.
For the families inside, this place is not abstract policy. It is where their father, their mother, their husband, their wife spends every day. It is the staff who learn a resident's favorite music, who notice when something is off, who hold a hand at the end of a long life. It is also, right now, a facility under threat — because the federal government is rolling back the reimbursements that keep state veterans homes funded and staffed.
The Promise
America has a long-standing commitment to the people who serve. In exchange for years of service — and the physical, mental, and emotional cost that service exacts — the country pledges care in old age, support for surviving spouses, and dignity for Gold Star families. State Veterans Community Living Centers like the one in Florence are how that promise gets kept at the local level. The state operates the facility. Federal funding helps cover the cost of care, particularly for residents who qualify for VA per-diem support or Medicaid.
When that federal funding is reliable, the math works. The state covers what the federal government does not, residents pay what they can, and the facility stays staffed at the levels veterans deserve. When that federal funding gets cut, the math falls apart — and the people who pay the price are the veterans, spouses, and Gold Star families who depended on the promise.
The Threat
Washington has been cutting the federal reimbursements that veterans homes depend on. The cuts come in different forms — adjustments to VA per-diem rates, changes to Medicaid match formulas, shifts in how facilities qualify for federal support — but the impact is the same. State veterans homes across the country are running on thinner margins, and that means harder choices about staffing, services, and care levels.
In a rural county like Fremont, that pressure is amplified. The Florence VCLC is not just one facility serving one town. It serves veterans and their families from across SD4 — from the headwaters in Lake County to the ranches in Custer County to the mountain communities in Park and Teller. A staffing shortfall in Florence does not just inconvenience a small group of people. It pulls care out of reach for veterans and families who have nowhere else nearby to go.
Where Justin Stands
Justin Kurth is a Marine Corps veteran. He served from 2002 to 2007 and left active duty as a Sergeant. He knows what the promise feels like from the inside — and he has been clear about what it means when that promise breaks.
"There is a Veterans Community Living Center in Florence serving veterans, veteran spouses, and Gold Star families throughout this region. Those men and women earned their care through service. Right now, Washington is cutting the federal reimbursements that keep that facility funded and staffed. I don't care what party does it — breaking a promise to veterans isn't fiscal discipline. It is a betrayal."
Justin's position is that Colorado cannot wait for Washington to fix what Washington broke. The state has tools available to protect veterans care now, and the state should use them.
A Three-Part Plan
Justin's plan for the Florence VCLC — and for every state veterans facility in Colorado — has three core pieces.
Statutory minimum staffing standards tied to resident acuity. Right now, staffing levels at veterans homes can shift based on political winds and budget cycles. That is not how care works. Care needs are driven by the people receiving it — their age, their health, the level of support each resident requires. Justin supports written-into-law minimum staffing standards that adjust with the actual acuity of residents, so the floor moves with care needs and not with politics.
A state funding backstop when federal reimbursement falls short. If Washington pulls federal funding below defined thresholds, the state of Colorado should be ready to step in. Veterans care should not be held hostage to congressional budget fights. Justin supports a backstop trigger that automatically activates state support when federal reimbursement drops below the level required to maintain adequate staffing and services. The trigger gets pulled by the math, not by a six-month political negotiation.
Academic partnerships to build a workforce pipeline. A staffing standard only works if the workforce exists to meet it. Justin supports partnerships between the Florence VCLC and nearby academic institutions — particularly Pueblo Community College and Colorado State University Pueblo — to build durable training pipelines for the certified nursing assistants, licensed practical nurses, registered nurses, and clinical staff that state veterans facilities need. A workforce grown in southern Colorado stays in southern Colorado.
Why This Matters Now
The Florence VCLC is not the only veterans facility in Colorado, and the federal reimbursement issue is not unique to Fremont County. But the Florence VCLC is the one that serves the families of Senate District 4 — and the people who built this region deserve a state senator who will fight to keep that facility open, funded, and fully staffed.
This is not about politics. It is about honoring the promise. Justin Kurth is running to be the senator who keeps it.