Veteran Benefits
Long-Term Care & Nursing Home Care
Long-term care is the help a veteran needs when everyday tasks - bathing, dressing, cooking, managing medicine - become too much to handle alone. The VA can provide or arrange it in your own home, in the community, or in a nursing home, and there are real ways to help pay for care the VA does not run directly.
Who this is for
When a veteran can no longer manage alone, families panic about the cost of a nursing home. The truth is the VA offers care at every level - from an aide who comes to the house, to a State Veterans Home, to help paying a private facility through Aid & Attendance - and much of it is low-cost or free.
In plain language
What Long-Term Care & Nursing Home Care covers
- Skilled nursing-home care in VA Community Living Centers and VA-contracted community nursing homes
- State Veterans Homes, often the most affordable option for a long stay
- Care at home: Home-Based Primary Care, homemaker/home health aide, adult day health care, respite, and hospice
- How copays work (nothing until day 22) and how Aid & Attendance helps pay for private care
Day 22
Long-term care copays do not begin until the 22nd day of care
$0
Hospice care carries no copay in any setting
3 levels
Care at home, in the community, or in a nursing home
The full picture
Everything you need to know
Nothing hidden behind a click. Here is the whole story in plain language, so you can decide what fits your situation.
Key facts & current figures
- The VA offers a full range of long-term care - from help at home to full nursing-home care - for veterans enrolled in VA health care who have a clinical need (38 CFR 17.30 et seq.).
- Settings include VA Community Living Centers (VA-run nursing homes), Community Nursing Homes (VA-contracted homes near you), and State Veterans Homes (state-run, often the most affordable long-stay option).
- Home-based options - Home-Based Primary Care, Homemaker/Home Health Aide, adult day health care, respite, and hospice - let many veterans stay in their own homes far longer.
- Any long-term care copay does not start until the 22nd day of care, is based on your income and service-connected status, and hospice care is always copay-free (38 CFR 17.111).
- Aid & Attendance (a separate pension benefit) is the money most families use to help pay for private assisted living or nursing homes the VA does not run - confirm rates on va.gov.
General figures, current as of December 2025 and reviewed each year. Your exact amount depends on your situation - always confirm on va.gov.
The three nursing-home paths
- Community Living Centers (CLCs) are nursing homes run by the VA itself. They are often used for short-term rehab after a hospital stay, but long stays are possible when there is a clinical need.
- Community Nursing Homes are private homes that contract with the VA so you can be cared for closer to family, with the VA overseeing and helping pay for the care.
- State Veterans Homes are owned and run by the states with VA support. They frequently accept a veteran's spouse or a Gold Star parent and are usually the most affordable choice for a permanent stay - waiting lists are common, so apply early.
Staying in your own home
- Home-Based Primary Care brings a VA doctor-led team into the home for veterans with complex conditions who have trouble getting to a clinic.
- Homemaker and Home Health Aide services send a trained aide to help with bathing, dressing, and daily tasks - open to any enrolled veteran with a clinical need where services are available.
- Adult day health care, respite care, and hospice round out the options: adult day care gives structured daytime supervision, respite gives a family caregiver a break, and hospice provides comfort-focused care at the end of life.
What it costs
- Long-term care copays are based on your income and service-connected status and, importantly, do not begin until the 22nd day of care in a given period.
- Hospice care carries no copay in any setting. The VA is also required to bill private insurance (not Medicare) for non-service-connected care, which can lower what you owe.
- Veterans who are 50% or more service-connected, or who need the care for a service-connected condition, generally receive VA-provided long-term care without copays - confirm your exact status with a VA social worker.
Paying for private care with Aid & Attendance
- The VA usually will not pay the monthly bill at a private assisted-living or private nursing home it does not run.
- The Aid & Attendance pension (for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need daily help) puts tax-free monthly money in your pocket that you can apply to that private bill.
- Families often combine VA home-based services with Aid & Attendance to make staying home - or affording a good facility - possible. Ask us to walk you through both together.
Your complete benefit picture
Care at every level
from an aide who comes to the house, to a State Veterans Home, to help paying a private facility through Aid & Attendance - and much of VA-provided long-term care is low-cost or free. Confirm your copay status with a VA social worker.
What families miss
The VA will not pay the private nursing-home bill - but Aid & Attendance can
The VA generally does not cover room-and-board at a private assisted-living or nursing home it does not run.
The Aid & Attendance pension puts tax-free monthly money in your pocket that you can apply to that private bill - most families should ask about both together.
Enrollment first
Long-term care runs through VA health care - being rated for disability is not the same as being enrolled.
Apply to State Homes early
State Veterans Homes are the most affordable long stay, but waiting lists are common - get on the list now.
A clear path forward
Your step-by-step action plan
No rush and no pressure - but a little order helps. Applying is always free.
First
Confirm VA health-care enrollment
Long-term care flows through the health system - make sure enrollment (VA Form 10-10EZ) is complete.
Next
Ask for a VA social worker
They assess clinical need and set up home care, adult day care, respite, or nursing-home placement.
For a facility
File VA Form 10-10EC
The Application for Extended Care Services lets the VA determine your copay for nursing-home level care.
For private care
Apply for Aid & Attendance
Use the pension benefit to help pay a private assisted-living or nursing-home bill the VA will not cover.
Who to call & where to go
These are free, official VA lines. Have your Social Security number handy when you call.
MyVA411 - Main VA Line
Not sure who to call? Start here. One number for anything VA - they route you to the right office.
Rather have us handle it?
No phone tag, no hold music. Call our office and a real, VA-accredited person walks you through it - start to finish.
702-992-4883Not sure where to start?
Start with your VA social worker or primary care team - they assess your clinical need and set up services. For extended care you may complete VA Form 10-10EC (Application for Extended Care Services), which the VA uses to figure your copay. You must be enrolled in VA health care first. Call MyVA411 at 800-698-2411 if you do not have a social worker yet.
More benefits for veterans
These often go hand in hand - tap any card to learn more.
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