All funds received by the Maine Veterans’ Homes, including federal Veterans’ Administration stipend funds, must be held in a permanent fund to be used as required by the chief executive officer for the support and maintenance of the homes. A percentage of these funds approved by the board of trustees must be placed in reserve for capital improvement expenditures. The board of trustees shall operate the homes, when constructed, as self-liquidating projects until all the bonds issued as provided by this chapter are retired. The Department of Health and Human Services may not modify its principles of reimbursement for long-term care facilities to specifically exclude reimbursement for the depreciation of the assets created with federal or state grants. [PL 2015, c. 397, §16 (AMD).]