AN ACT RELATING TO MILITARY AFFAIRS AND DEFENSE -- RHODE ISLAND VETERANS' HOME

HB 5052 changes the service requirement for admission to Rhode Island's Veterans' Home from 90 days to two years of honorable service. It specifically prioritizes veterans who served in declared or undeclared wars and earned campaign medals (as documented on their DD-214), placing them on a separate waiting list ahead of other eligible veterans. The bill requires the Veterans' Services Office to maintain two distinct waiting lists - one for "war veterans" and one for others - and prohibits admitting non-war veterans until the war veterans' list is exhausted. This policy directly affects veterans who previously qualified under the 90-day rule but now must meet the longer service standard to access the facility.