Do Veterans Have Special Options For Nursing Home Care
Yes. Veterans have additional opportunities for nursing home care that are not available to the general population. Here are three types of nursing home care available to veterans in and around Vermont.
Vermont Veterans Home
The State of Vermont operates a 177 bed nursing home in Bennington. Veterans, their spouses, and gold star parents are eligible to stay at the home. The home provides a full range of care, including skilled nursing home care, and accepts Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance. Veterans without Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance will have to pay for their care, but the homes staff will help make sure all available insurance programs are used if the individual is eligible.
- Vermont Veterans Home – 442-6353
VA Nursing Homes
Veterans who are 70% service-connected disabled or higher can stay at nursing homes operated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs free of charge. The closest VA operated nursing home is in North Hampton, Massachusetts. We recommend veterans discuss this option with theirPrimary Care Provider at the VA.
Community Nursing Home Care Paid for by VA
Veterans who are 70% service-connected disabled or higher can stay at some community nursing homes free of charge, as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs will pay for their care. We recommend veterans discuss this option with their Primary Care Provider at the VA.
About State Veterans Homes
State veterans homes fill an important need for veterans with low income and veterans who desire to spend their last years with “comrades” from former active duty. The predominant service offered is nursing home care. VA nursing homes must be licensed for their particular state and conform with skilled or intermediate nursing services offered in private sector nursing homes in that state. State homes may also offer assisted living or domiciliary care, which is a form of supported independent living.
Every state has at least one veterans home and some states like Oklahoma have six or seven of them. There is great demand for the services of these homes, but lack of federal and state funding has created a backlog of well over 130 homes that are waiting to be built. This problem will be discussed in the section entitled “Challenges Facing the Construction of New Homes”.
Unlike private sector nursing homes where the family can walk in the front door and possibly that same day make arrangements for a bed for their loved one, state veterans homes have an application process that could take a number of weeks or months. Many state homes have waiting lists especially for their Alzheimer’s long term care units.
No facilities are entirely free to any veteran with an income. The veteran must pay his or her share of the cost. In some states the veterans contribution rates are set, and if there is not enough income the family may have to make up the difference.
Using Life Insurance To Pay For Long
In some situations, seniors may be able to use a life insurance policy to help pay for the cost of long-term care. There are four ways this may be done through:
- Combination products
- Viatical settlements
Combination Products
Some insurance companies offer a combination of life insurance and long-term care insurance policies. The idea behind these products is that policyholders can be confident that benefits will be paid one way or another whether they end up requiring long-term care services or not.
Accelerated Death Benefits
ABDs may be added to certain life insurance policies, often for an additional premium. ADBs allow policyholders to receive a tax-free cash advance on their death benefit while they are still living under certain circumstances, which may include:
- They are terminally ill.
- They have a life-threatening illness.
- They require long-term care services for an extended period of time.
- They are a permanent resident at a nursing home and require assistance with ADLs.
Life Settlements
Some life insurance companies allow policyholders to sell a policy for its present value, for any reason, in exchange for cash. The proceeds of the sale may be used to pay for long-term care costs. Life settlement options are generally only offered to seniors above a certain age women age 74 and older and men age 70 and older. It is also important to note that the proceeds of such a transaction may be subject to taxation.
Viatical Settlements
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Charging A Fee For Filing A Claim
38 USC sections 5901, 5902, 5903, 5904 and 5905 cover prohibitions for representatives, allowable practices for representatives and who can be a representative for a veteran in the filing of a claim.
For further details we include an addendum with all of 38 USC Chapter 59 with amendments. We also include a Federal appeals court decision concerning the challenge of payment to a third-party for filing a claim. Finally we include a letter from Tim McClain, VA General Counsel, to the Hon. Lane Evans, ranking Democratic member of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs, dated May 24, 2004. The letter addresses, directly, charging a fee for advice relating to a claim. The source of this document is:
Factors That Affect Long
Veterans can choose from several insurance providers, including federal, state, and private insurance, factors that affect these costs can vary across different providers and insurance plans. Remember these when applying for disability insurance.
For instance, veterans who want to enroll in VA health care need to provide:
Based on this information, the VA will determine whether a veteran qualifies to receive particular healthcare and long-term care services. Additionally, the long-term care service coverage also depends on factors such as:
Long-term care benefits are primarily intended for veterans who are 65 or older. However, veterans under the age of 65 can also qualify for this benefit if they suffer from a total and permanent disability that prevents them from completing basic everyday tasks independently. There is a lot to learn about aging and long term care.
Depending on the individual health status, long-term care coverage provided to veterans can differ.
- Coverage needed
Costs are also affected by the type and amount of coverage needed. Veterans who only need assistance with bathing will receive lower coverage than veterans who also require regular physical therapy, as well as 24/7 medical and nursing care.
- Insurance company
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Va Health Care For Elderly Veterans
Geriatrics is health care for elderly Veterans with complex needs. Extended care also known as long term care is a program for Veterans of all ages who need the daily support and assistance of another individual. Elderly Veterans can receive geriatric and long term care programs at home, at VA medical centers, or in the community.
Homemaker And Home Care Services
- Preparing meals
There are large areas of overlap between personal care and medical home care and oftentimes home care professionals also provide personal care during their visits.
Similar to Home Medical Care, Homemaker Services can be paid for by several different sources of funds from within the VA. These options include:
- Veteran-Directed Care Program Veterans choose their own care providers.
- Veterans Pensions Basic pension, Aid & Attendance, or Housebound can cover the costs or care.
While TRICARE for Life and CHAMPVA for Life do not cover personal care provided in the home, these other financial options provided by the VA can help cover most or all of the costs.
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Veterans Community Living Centers Needs Assessment We Are Pleased To Share The Colorado Veterans Community Living Centers Needs Assessment This Report Was Commissioned By Cdhs To Identify Both Present And Future Needs Of Our Veteran Populations Throughout The State It Was Prepared By The Colorado Health Institute Click The Links Below To Read The Report As Well As Related Documents:
The services we offer
Colorados Veterans Community Living Centers offer the following services:
- Long-term care: These services include skilled nursing care speech, physical and occupational therapy social activities and assistance with bathing, dressing and other daily activities.
- Short-term rehabilitation: Individuals seeking to return home following a qualifying hospital stay can work to regain skills and improve physical strength, endurance and aerobic capacity through Medicare-certified rehabilitation services.
- Domiciliary cottages : The Veterans Community Living Center at Homelake offers assisted living-like services in 48 recently renovated cottages.
- Memory care services: Specialized care for individuals with dementia is offered in all Veterans Community Living Centers. Secure units are available at the Veterans Community Living Centers at Fitzsimons, Florence, Rifle and Walsenburg.
- Short-term respite care: Respite care can provide a helpful option when homecare providers are unavailable. These short-term stays are offered at the Veterans Community Living Centers at Florence, Homelake, Rifle and Walsenburg.
- End-of-life/hospice services: Comfort-oriented care is offered at all Veterans Community Living Centers.
How our centers are different
Alzheimer’s and dementia care
Learn more about Alzheimer’s and dementia care at our centers.
Eligibility and admission
- Admission forms for individual facilities
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Veterans Community Living Center at Fitzsimons
Eligibility For Community Living Centers
To receive care in a Community Living Center/VA nursing home, a veteran must:
- be enrolled in the VA Health Care System
- be psychiatrically and medically stable
- provide documentation specifying whether short or long-term care is needed, an estimation of how long the stay will be, and when discharge will occur, and
- show priority for a stay in a CLC.
However, meeting the above criteria does not automatically ensure admission. CLCs make decisions about whether to admit a veteran based on the following factors:
- availability services in the CLC
- what sort of care the veteran needs, and
- whether the CLC can competently provide the type of care the veteran needs.
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Eligibility And Application Requirements For State Veterans Homes
From state to state, facilities vary in their rules for eligible veterans. Even in the same state it is common, where there is more than one state home, for some homes to have very stringent eligibility rules and others to be more lenient. These differing rules are probably based on the demand for care and the available beds in that particular geographic area.
Some homes require the veteran to be totally disabled and unable to earn an income. Some evaluate on the basis of medical need or age. Some evaluate entirely on income — meaning applicants above a certain level will not be accepted. Some accept only former active duty veterans, while others accept all who were in the military whether active duty or reserve. Still others accept only veterans who served during a period of war. Some homes accept the spouses or surviving spouses of veterans and some will accept the parents of veterans but restrict that to the parents of veterans who died while in service .
Federal regulations allow that 25% of the bed occupants at any one time may be veteran related family members, i.e., spouses, surviving spouses, and/or gold star parents who are not entitled to payment of VA aid. When a state home accepts grant assistance for a construction project, 75% of the bed occupants at the facility must be veterans.
Veterans Benefits For Home Care
Home care provides non-medical care for seniors who wish to age at home. In-home caregivers are trained in senior care and provide a wide range of services that cater to individual needs. Home care services may include personal care, companionship, cooking, light housekeeping, mobility assistance, and more.
The cost of home care varies greatly because its based on the type of care needed and how often its provided. However, the median cost of home care in the U.S. is $26 an hour.
Seniors who are eligible for Aid and Attendance and receive home care help with activities of daily living, such as bathing or dressing, may receive a supplemental income to pay for these services.
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Do Spouses Qualify For Va Survivors Pension
If your family member is the spouse of a deceased veteran, they may be eligible for Survivors Pension if they meet certain requirements.
Your loved one may qualify for Survivors Pension if they are a surviving spouse who was married to a wartime veteran at the time of death, and who hasnt remarried after the veterans death. In order to qualify, the deceased veteran must not have had a dishonorable discharge, and must have had at least 90 days of active duty, including at least one day during wartime period. The surviving spouse must also meet financial qualifications for Survivors Pension.
Using Home Equity To Pay For Long
Many seniors have significant wealth tied up in their homes. A recent study by Zillow found that 77.6% of homeowners aged 85 and older and 62.7% of homeowners aged 74 to 84 owned their homes outright.
In many cases, seniors can leverage the equity in their homes to help cover some or all of the costs of qualified long-term care. This can be done using reverse mortgages, traditional home equity loans, home equity lines of credit , or by selling or renting out the home.
Reverse Mortgages
Reverse mortgages allow seniors to borrow money against the value of their homes without having to sell the property or move out. Compared to other home equity financing options, the primary advantage of a reverse mortgage is that the borrower is not required to repay the loan until they sell the home, permanently move out, or pass away.
The most common reverse mortgage type is a home equity conversion mortgage . HECM reverse mortgages are insured by the Federal Housing Administration .
In order to qualify for a HECM reverse mortgage, homeowners must meet the following eligibility requirements:
- They must be 62 years or older.
- They must own the home outright or have a low balance left on their first mortgage.
- They must use the home as their primary residence.
- They must have good credit and be financially stable enough to continue making timely payments on homeowners insurance, property taxes, and homeowners association fees.
Traditional Home Equity Loans
Home Equity Lines Of Credit
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Why Gao Did This Study
Veterans rely on long-term care to address a broad spectrum of needs, from providing occasional help around the house to daily assistance with eating or bathing to round-the-clock clinical care. Veterans’ eligibility for this care is primarily based on their service-connected disability status, among other factors. Congress included a provision in statute for GAO to review VA’s long-term care programs. This report describes the use of and spending for VA long-term care and discusses the challenges VA faces in meeting veterans’ demand for long-term care and examines VA’s plans to address those challenges. GAO reviewed VA documents, such as strategic planning documents for long-term care programs and analyzed VA utilization and expenditure data for fiscal years 2014 through 2018 and projected data through 2037. GAO also interviewed officials from VA, including officials from VA’s GEC, which is responsible for overseeing long-term care programs and from Veterans Service Organizations.
Assisted Living For Veterans: Benefits You Didnt Know Existed
Veterans give their all in the service, yet may find it challenging to resume their civilian lives, especially if they suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder . Reintegrating into the community can be a long, hard road.
And even later in life, veterans face an additional hurdle if they need to move into an assisted living facility : the high cost of care.
Fortunately for veterans and their surviving spouses, there are benefits available to help alleviate the financial burden that comes with long-term care in an assisted living facility.
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For Veterans Across The United States:
State Veterans Homes throughout the country offer care for veterans in need of long-term care, adult day care, or care within their own homes. Each state offers at least one facility that provides care to veterans you can search for local homes here. Note that each state determines its homes eligibility criteria.
Private retirement communities built with veterans in mind may also be an option. However, some of these facilities may only be open to former officers and often are quite expensive.
For a majority of the population, long-term care will become a fact of life. Having knowledge of your options now allows you to create a strategy for your care in the future. Whether you are eligible for long-term care benefits directly from the VA or plan to use a long-term care insurance policy to protect your future, its important that youre prepared.
Navy Mutuals Flagship Whole Life insurance plan features a chronic illness option that allows access to the plans death benefit if the insured develops the need for assistance with activities of daily living. This can offset costs associated with a chronic illness, including long-term care. If youre interested in learning more, call or get a quote today. If youre interested in learning more about benefits offered to veterans and their survivors, contact our Education and Veterans Services team at .
How Long Does The Application And Approval Process Take
The application process for veterans benefits can be slow. You or your loved one will need to fill out several forms, and it may take some time to gather all the information and documents your loved one needs to complete their application.
The approval process for VA benefits may also take several months. Its important to be thorough when completing your application so it can be processed as quickly as possible.
Eligible veterans and surviving spouses who are age 90 or older may request an expedited review in a cover letter with their application.
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