Do VA Benefits Pay for a Nursing Home?

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides benefits to eligible former military members. Eligible veterans can apply for VA health care services and receive subsidized or free care depending upon their years of service, whether they have a service-connected disability, and their income.

If you qualify for veterans benefits and you need long-term care, it is important to determine if VA benefits pay for a nursing home. A Lakeland, FL, long-term care planning lawyer at the Elder Law Firm of Clements & Wallace, P.L. can provide you with advice and information on whether you should be eligible to have your nursing home care covered by the veterans administration. Our experienced attorneys will also assist you in exploring other possible ways that you can get your care covered, including Medicaid.

Do VA Benefits Pay for a Nursing Home?

The Department of Veterans Affairs provides support and offers services to aged or disabled former military members. VA benefits pay for a nursing home or for long-term care under certain circumstances as part of the overall benefits package available.

Certain types of long-term care may be classified as part of Home and Community Based Services, which are offered to veterans as part of the VA Medical Benefits Package and allows veterans to remain in their homes. Home and Community Based Services include:

• Adult daycare
• Home-based primary care
• Home health aids
• Hospice care
• Respite care

An extended stay in a nursing home is not considered a Home and Community Based Service. However, the VA also offers Geriatrics and Extended Care Services (GEC), which can pay for care in both a VA owned and operated Community Living Center (CLC), formerly known as VA Nursing Homes, and in certain private nursing homes that have contracted with the Veteran’s Administration. Nursing home care is not available to all veterans, but you may be eligible for the Administration to pay for the costs of your nursing home care if:

• You have a service-connected disability rating of at least 70 percent, or you have a service-connected disability rating of 60 percent and are unemployable or have been classified as totally and permanently disabled.
• You have a service-connected disability that has been clinically determined to necessitate nursing home care.
• You have a disability not connected to your service and you meet both income and asset criteria.

GEC benefits may also be available to other veterans on a case-by-case basis, although priority is given to those with service-connected disabilities. However, the VA does not pay for room and board in assisted living facilities. You must be in a VA Community Living Center or a contracted community nursing home to get your care covered.

The Elder Law Firm of Clements & Wallace, P.L. can help evaluate your situation and advise you about VA benefits to which you may be entitled and help determine if the VA will cover the care you may need. Our long-term care planning lawyers will help to ensure you create a plan to get the coverage you need for your long-term care.