Do VA benefits cover nursing home care?
The Department of Veteran Affairs Benefits provide for a range of long-term services which include, Nursing Home Care, Domiciliary Care, Adult Day Health Care, Geriatric Evaluation and Respite Care. Nursing home benefits may be provided if specific qualifications are met; those are:
A veteran must be in need of such care and seeking nursing home care for a service-connected (SC) disability, OR is rated 60% SC and unemployable, OR is rated 60% SC and permanently and totally disabled (P&T) OR for any condition if the veteran has a combined SC disability rating of 70% or more.
The care will be provided in a VA nursing home or contract nursing home. NSC and non-compensable zero percent SC veterans can apply for long term care in the VA but could be subject to long term care co-payments. Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability are exempt from long term care co-payments. NSC veterans applying for Extended Care or the Nursing Home Care Unit may be required to complete VA Form 10-10EC to determine the family's current income and assets. Veterans may be discharged from a VA Nursing Home Care Unit (NHCU) without consent when VA nursing home care is no longer needed; for example, if the veteran's needs can be met at home or in a private nursing home close to the family. Veterans requiring nursing home care for a service-connected condition or a veteran rated 70% or more have mandatory eligibility for admission to Extended Care Services; and, those veterans are eligible to have indefinite care provided to them in the VA or in a VA contracted nursing home.
How do I obtain nursing home care?
To be eligible for nursing home care, you would first need to be enrolled in the VA Healthcare System. You can apply for VA health care enrollment by completing VA Form 10-10EZ. The 10-10EZ may be obtained by visiting, calling, or writing any VA health care facility or veterans' benefits office. You can also call toll-free 1-877-222-VETS (1-877-222-8387) or access the form on the Internet at www.1010ez.med.va.gov.
You can submit a completed form in person or by mail to the enrollment coordinator at any VA Medical Center. Please be sure to sign your application form, otherwise it cannot be processed for enrollment. VA Form 10-10EZ is a four-page application form, front and back.
Once a determination of your eligibility has been made, you will receive written notification. This process can take between 30-60 days.
Will VA cover nursing home care in non-VA facilities?
Subject: No. VA can pay for care only in nursing homes that participate in its contract program. Nursing homes that do not participate in its contract program are not covered by VA. Veterans and their families should contact the nearest VA facility for information on Long Term Care (LTC). They may also obtain information on Health Benefits at 1-877-222-8387 or on the Internet at http://www.va.gov/elig
Does VA offer any assisted living help?
Subject: All questions about assisted living arrangements should be addressed to the Social Work Department at your nearest VA medical facility. They can provide information about services or other assistance available through VA and/or your local community.
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System(ECHCS) - Facilities Locator & Directory
The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System encompasses a major referral medical center in Denver, Nursing Home Care Units in Denver and Pueblo, and seven Community Based Outpatient Clinics stretching from metropolitan Denver to the southern tier of Colorado. The medical center is affiliated with the medical, pharmacy, and nursing schools of the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Residency programs are maintained in Internal Medicine and Surgery and their subspecialties, as well as Psychiatry, Neurology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Anesthesia, Pathology, Radiology and Dentistry.