Bye bye estates? Bye bye kids’ inheritances?  Long term care is another complicated VA benefit topic worth looking into because many of us were not able to purchase long term care insurance policies during the years we were raising children and paying for higher education. We dread the possibility that we could end up in a nursing home, our spouses left in abject poverty after a lifetime of hard work, paid or unpaid. 

The VA makes grants (matching funds) for new construction and renovation projects (LINK) each year.  This post provides some links to information about veterans’ state homes.  Some states are building attractive modern facilities, such as the one in Silver Bay, MN above (LINK). Vermont’s long term veterans’ home boasts a five star rating, a trout pond and deer park. Veterans who are 70% disabled do not have to pay for services, a situation that may apply in all state homes.

The”… Veterans Benefits, Health Care, and Information Technology Act of 2006 (Pub. L. 109-461),…currently provides “No Cost” Nursing Home Care at any State Veterans Home to veterans who are 70% or more service connected disabled. (Source LINK)

State homes also take private payments, Medicare and Medicaid.  In some cases,  spouses can receive care.  Every state has different residency requirements and beds available.  Some offer dementia care, adult day care, respite care and many other services.  (VT LINK).  A list of veterans’ state homes can be found here: (LINK) or (LINK).

Long term care provided at VHA facilities may have very different requirements as VHA-10-10EC form indicates.  Congress has provided resource protections for spouses who are living in the community when their mates are in long term care (for Medicare and VA). We’ll take a look at them in a different post and try to compare them with Medicaid which kicks in when Medicare benefits are exhausted.

Please note that these provisions are constantly changing.  It’s best to call local social workers and administrations for up-to-date information.  Learning about state veterans’ homes are a good starting place especially if they employ an on-site PCP, as in Ohio (LINK). And they are inspected by state health agencies and the VA.  State pride in care giving for vets will vary.

We need more modern facilities in every state–closer to where vets’ families live.