A bill that includes $250,000 for a feasibility study for a new state veterans home has been approved by both houses and Gov. Butch Otter.

Post Falls Mayor Clay Larkin said he has been working on getting a land donation - or a site at a reduced cost - in the Highway 41 corridor for such a project. About 3,000 signatures were earlier sent to the Idaho American Legion in support of a facility in Post Falls.

Rep. George Eskridge, R-Dover, who carried the funding bill, said the Panhandle is ripe for another vet home since the closest such facility is in Lewiston and there's a waiting list to get into that one.

While the feasibility study is for the entire state, an obvious location for such a facility is the Panhandle and that's where the momentum is, he said.

The study is just the beginning of a four- to five-year process, Eskridge said.

He said prior to submitting a Veterans Affairs grant application, the feasibility study needs to be done that will provide data on the occupancy level of the new home, availability of qualified medical care personnel to staff the facility, location of the facility and construction costs.

After the study, the state would need to approve the project and the funding requirement and assure the VA that the state has its share of the construction cost, Eskridge said.

"It's a partnership between the feds and the state," said Eskridge, adding that the state has to provide matching funds.

The feasibility study funding is part of the state's veterans appropriation.

Local officials have discussed having an 88-bed home in the Panhandle. There are an estimated 18,000 veterans in Kootenai County.

The total cost for similar facilities, including the building and land, has run in the $20 million range. The home is not to be confused with a veterans hospital.

"There's a lot of interest in making the facility happen," said Larkin, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars.

Multiple veterans groups have passed resolutions in support of the facility.