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3.3. Residential Settings and Nursing Homes

Each VA Medical Center offer a variety of residential care, nursing home care, and long-term care services either directly or by contract with community-based agencies.  Such services include:

Community Residential Care (CRC) - program is for veterans who do not need hospital or nursing home care but cannot live alone because of medical or psychiatric conditions.  The CRC program provides room, board, limited personal care and supervision. Veterans pay for their rent from VA compensation, VA pension, Social Security or other retirement or income sources.

Medical Foster Homes- are private homes, inspected and approved by VA, in which a trained caregiver provides services to veterans who require nursing home care but prefer a non-institutional setting with fewer residents.  The charge for a Medical Foster Home is about $1,500 to $3,000 each month based on a veteran’s income and level of care needed. 

Adult Family Homes (also called Adult Foster Homes)- are places where veterans can live in a rented room of a private home.  The homes have shared common spaces and veterans might share a bedroom and bathroom with another person.  There is a trained caregiver on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This person can help a veteran with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing and getting dressed

Assisted Living Facilities- are places where veterans can live in a rented room or apartment. There are some shared living spaces, like a dining room.  A trained caregiver is on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This person can help the veteran with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing and getting dressed).

Community Living Center (CLC)- is a VA Nursing Home that is designed to resemble a "home" as much as possible.  Veterans may stay for a short time or, in rare instances, for the rest of their life. It is a place where veterans can receive nursing home level of care, which includes help with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing and getting dressed) and skilled nursing and medical care.  The mission of a Community Living Center is to restore each veteran to his or her highest level of well-being. It is also to prevent declines in health and to provide comfort at the end of life.

Community Nursing Home- is a place where veterans can live full time and receive skilled nursing care any time of day or night near their homes and families.  VA contracts with community nursing homes to care for veterans.

State Veterans Homes- are facilities that provide nursing home, domiciliary or adult day care. They are owned, operated and managed by individual state governments and not the VA.   Each state establishes eligibility criteria and determine services offered for short and long-term care. 

VA pays a portion of the veteran's cost if the state meets VA standards.  Specialized services offered are dependent upon the capability of the home to render them.  Some State Veterans Homes may admit non-veteran spouses and gold star parents while others may admit only veterans.  VA does not pay for care for non-veterans.

State Veterans Homes are in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Some states have more than one State Veterans Homes. For a list of locations, visit https://www.nasvh.org/state-homes/statedir.cfm.

To find out more about these Residential and Nursing Home services available to veterans, please visit https://www.va.gov/GERIATRICS/pages/Nursing_Home_and_Residential_Services.asp?utm_source=geriatrics_left_menu