ARDMORE — The Oklahoma Veterans Commission on Friday authorized a reduction in the licensed bed capacity at the Ardmore Veterans Home to match its current usable capacity. Additionally, the commissioners approved up to $5 million in funding to develop a comprehensive plan that will assess potential demolition and renovation options for the facility.
The commission’s action strengthens the home’s financial position by allowing the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs to better align available funding and operating costs with the facility’s capacity. The result is additional resources that can be redirected toward improving the portions of the home where veterans live and staff work every day.
The decision to decertify 50 beds still leaves 125 beds in the Ardmore Veterans Home, Sandra Shelton, director of strategic communications and government affairs for the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs, told Southwest Ledger. The unit in which those 50 beds is located is aged, and despite investing approximately $11 million in the facility since 2021 “it’s beyond repair,” Shelton said.
The action maintains ample long-term care capacity for veterans in southern Oklahoma through the combined capabilities of the Ardmore and Sulphur veterans homes and does not alter the department’s longterm commitment to serving veterans in the region.
By aligning licensed capacity with the home’s usable space, the department “will no longer incur unnecessary costs associated with excess staffing requirements and continued expenditures supporting portions of the facility that have not been successfully restored,” Shelton said. “Instead, those resources can be invested where they will have the greatest immediate benefit for residents and employees.”
No reduction in force is anticipated. Staffing will continue to be managed through normal workforce planning as resident census aligns with the updated licensed bed capacity.
Residents and staff should see the benefits of this decision in the near term through continued investment in occupied resident areas, employee workspaces, and facility improvements that directly enhance daily operations and quality of life.
This action does not change the department’s long-term vision for the Ardmore campus, Executive Director Jay Bynum said. “Planning for the eventual replacement or redevelopment of the home will continue, and today’s action preserves the flexibility to pursue future licensed bed increases should demand and facility improvements support them,” he said.
“This action reflects responsible stewardship of the resources entrusted to us while reinforcing our commitment to the veterans we serve,” he continued. “It allows us to direct more of our resources to the veterans living in the home today, creating opportunities for immediate enhancements that will benefit veterans and staff alike.”
The Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs continues to operate one of the nation’s largest state veterans home systems, providing more than 1,350 licensed long-term care beds across Oklahoma. Those include 200 in the Lawton-Fort Sill Veterans Home at 501 SE Flower Mound Road.
Bynum reported Friday that 938 military veterans registered in the first two quarters of the year, exceeding the goal of 840, and that the ODVA secured $1.2 billion in federal benefits for veterans in fiscal year 2026. ___
Mike W. Ray is a fifthgeneration, award-winning journalist who has more than 55 years’ experience covering municipal, county, state and federal government in Oklahoma and Texas. He can be reached at mike.ray@swoknews.com.