This might not be what you are looking for, but it still may offer
some assistance. As for retaining assets, I have heard of cases that
required assets to be liquidated up to two years in advance of
entering a nursing home. I cannot verify this at this time for you
though. Again, perhaps this document will help a little. The whole
document can be found here:
http://www1.va.gov/geriatricsshg/docs/DementiaFAQ10-1-03.doc
Information on VA medical benefits, including long term care, is
available at http://www.va.gov/elig. Information on VA non-medical
benefits is available at http://www.vba.va.gov.
For VA medical care, the first step is to enroll the veteran for VA
services, if you have not done so already. Please note that VA is not
currently enrolling veterans who are in category 8. You may call VA?s
Health Benefits Service Center toll-free 1-877-222-VETS
(1-877-222-8387) for information on enrollment and eligibility. Or
call the nearest VA Medical Center or VA community-based outpatient
clinic and ask for the enrollment coordinator. You may also complete
an enrollment application on-line at http://www.va.gov/1010ez.htm.
All VA Medical Center locations, phone numbers and other descriptive
information are available on the VA web site (http://www.va.gov ;
click on Health, then Locate a VA Medical Center).
For enrolled veterans, there are certain priority categories.
Depending on the veteran?s priority category, he or she would be
eligible for certain services for free, or certain services with a
co-payment.
Please note that the prescription benefit is not separate from medical
care. One must be seen by a VA or VA-authorized physician to receive
medication from a VA pharmacy. There are prescription co-pays,
depending on the veteran?s priority group and income.
For more information on VA enrollment, priority groups, co-payments,
and the medical benefits package, see http://www.va.gov/elig.
Additional information on co-payments is available at
http://www.va.gov/revenue. For recent updates, see VA?s Office of
Public Affairs web site at http://www.va.gov/opa, and click on Press
Releases, Fact Sheets, and Feature Items. To discuss these issues,
you may also call 1-877-222-8387.
After enrollment, the next step would be to talk with a patient care
coordinator (e.g., social worker) at the VA facility of your choice,
to determine what services are appropriate and available for your
situation, either through that VA facility or another one. The care
coordinator at your selected VA facility should discuss options, help
find what you need, and explain any co-payment requirements.
Eligible, enrolled veterans with Alzheimer?s disease or other dementia
may participate in the full range of VA services, including in-home,
community-based, outpatient, and inpatient acute and extended care
services. Depending on the veteran?s needs, services may include
home-based primary care, homemaker/home health aide, respite, adult
day health care, outpatient clinic, inpatient hospital, nursing home,
or hospice care. Some VA facilities have developed specialized
dementia care programs.
VA participates in three nursing home programs. A recent law, the
Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (Public Law 106-117,
Nov. 30, 1999), requires VA to provide nursing home care, directly or
through contracts, to certain veterans with service-connected
disabilities. Others may be provided nursing home care if space and
resources are available. One program is the VA-operated nursing home
program, which has particular admission priorities. The second is the
contract community nursing home program, in which VA pays for a
certain amount of time in a community nursing home, for eligible
veterans. The third is the State Veterans Home program, which is
operated by the States, and VA pays a partial per diem for veterans;
the State and the veteran pay the rest of care costs.
You may contact the specific VA medical centers in your area to learn
the latest information on their services. All VA Medical Center
locations, phone numbers and other descriptive information are
available on the VA web site (http://www.va.gov; click on Health, then
Locate a VA Medical Center).
You may contact your State Department of Veterans Affairs (see
http://www.va.gov/partners/stateoffice/index.htm) for more information
on the State Veterans Home program, including residency and other
admission requirements, as well as any specialized services for
Alzheimer?s/dementia care. A list of State Veterans Homes is also
available at http://www.vethomesfoundation.org/frameset.htm (click on
Homes and Heroes, then Roster of State Homes). State Veterans Homes
may provide a variety of extended care services, including adult day
health care, domiciliary, and nursing home care. Application for
admission to a State Veterans Home is made directly to the State; the
veteran need not be enrolled in the VA health care system in order to
access State Veteran Home services.
Here are some other resources you may also want to pursue:
? Alzheimer?s Association - 1-800-272-3900; http://www.alz.org
? Alzheimer?s Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR) -
1-800-438-4380; http://www.alzheimers.org
? Eldercare Locator Service - 1-800-677-1116
Also, the following VA caregiver information materials may be of interest:
? Series of 21 Dementia Caregiver Education Pamphlets [available on this Web site]
? CD-ROM ?Alzheimer?s Caregiving Strategies,? available at VA Medical
Center libraries (may have inter-library loan); also available for
purchase from Healthcare Interactive, Inc
(http://www.hcinteractive.com ; telephone 888-824-3020) |
