New York City Office
Westchester Office
Dutchess OfficeVA Nursing Home Care
Many veterans may be eligible to receive nursing home benefits from the Veterans Administration. The VA currently provides nursing home care to veterans through three national programs: VA Community Living Centers (CLC), state veterans’ homes that are owned and operated by the states, and the contract community nursing home program.
Community Living Centers offer veterans both short-term (less than 90 days) and long-term (more than 91 days) stays. To be eligible for short-term stay in a CLC, a veteran must be enrolled in VA health care. During a short-term stay, veterans receive a variety of services including: respite care, rehabilitation, hospice, skilled nursing, and maintenance care for those waiting for placement in the community. Long-term stays are available to enrolled veterans who need care for the term of their lives or for an extended amount of time due to a service-related disability.
State veterans homes are owned and operated by the states. States must petition the VA to receive a portion of the construction costs and to be recognized as a state home. Once a home has been recognized, the VA pays a portion of the per diem cost as long as the home continues to meet VA standards. States are entitled to establish their own eligibility requirements, as well as to determine which services will be offered for short- and long-term care. Some homes may offer specialized services to veterans.
Veterans can also receive nursing home care from some community nursing homes that have established contracts with the VA. These partnerships allow veterans to receive long-term nursing home care in their own communities so that they can stay near their loved ones.
Placement in any of these programs requires that a potential resident be medically stable, have sufficient functional defects to make inpatient nursing home care necessary, and receive an assessment by a medical provider that states institutional nursing home care is necessary. In addition to this, each potential resident must meet the requirements of the facility to which he or she is applying. An elder law attorney can assist in the process of choosing the appropriate institution.
4 Responses to “VA Nursing Home Care”
February 18th, 2010 at 5:16 am
Great blog. I will be returning.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:10 pm
Great blog. Keep up the good writing.
February 23rd, 2010 at 7:21 am
You definitely nailed that one on the head!
February 26th, 2010 at 3:44 am
Thanks for a good read. I will be returning.