Legionnaires’-struck Illinois veterans’ home gets $4.1M

QUINCY, Ill. – The federal government is giving Illinois $4.1 million to renovate a veterans’ home where Legionnaires’ disease has contributed to the deaths of 13 residents.

U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth say the money from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will be used to upgrade the water system and other improvements at the Illinois Veterans Home in Quincy.

Durbin says the money will be a “needed boost,” but that “there is much more work to be done.”

Illinois officials have struggled to contain the Legionnaires’ crisis since the first deaths at the Quincy home in 2015.

Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed a long-term, $245 million plan to replace corroded plumbing and rebuild the facility. Lawmakers approved a state budget last month that includes $53 million for the project.