If a doctor says your veteran parent needs long-term nursing care, the Delaware Veterans Home in Milford's August 2026 application lists a $320.00 daily rate, with VA projected to cover $148.71. Under VA's State home payment-in-full rule, a veteran who needs nursing home care and who needs it for a service-connected disability, is rated 70% or more, or has a total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) rating owes the Delaware Veterans Home nothing for that nursing home care, because VA's payment is payment in full. For a veteran rated below 70% whose need for nursing home care isn't service-connected and who has no TDIU rating, the Delaware Veterans Home's long-term care application projects the veteran's share at $171.29 a day, or $5,138.70 for a 30-day month.

In This Guide

What the Delaware Veterans Home Is

Under the federal VA State Veterans Homes program, VA formally recognizes and certifies each state home and surveys it every year against VA standards, but VA doesn't manage the homes, and each state sets its own eligibility and admission rules. For how the program works in every state, see our national guide to State Veterans Homes.

Delaware has one. The Delaware Veterans Home (DVH), established in 2007, is a long-term care facility on 24 acres in Milford that offers skilled nursing care on four units with a total of 144 beds. DVH offers two admission applications, one for long-term care and one for short-term and rehab care, so a stay after a hospital discharge is also possible there. The home's FAQ says hospice care is available there too.

Who Can Live at the Delaware Veterans Home?

The Delaware Veterans Home's Admissions page lists minimum requirements to be considered for residency. The applicant must be one of these:

  • honorably discharged from active service (peacetime or wartime) with a minimum of 180 days of service;
  • National Guard overseas with active service for a minimum of 180 days;
  • a Reservist with a minimum of 180 days of active service;
  • a National Guard member or Reservist who is eligible for retirement pay at age 60;
  • a Gold Star family member.

And the applicant must also have both:

  • lived in Delaware for at least one year before applying for admission;
  • a medically determined need for a long-term level of care.

The home's short-term and rehab application lists the same minimum requirements, including the need for a long-term level of care.

Two wording differences worth a phone call

DVH's own documents don't match on the service minimum. The Admissions web page says 180 days, while both current DVH application forms say a minimum of 181 days on the active-service, National Guard and Reservist lines. If your parent's service record is right at six months, ask the admissions office which figure it applies.

The Gold Star line is also short. The U.S. Army's MyArmyBenefits summary of the Delaware Veterans Home reads it as the surviving spouse or parents of a service member or veteran who died from a service-connected cause, and says the applicant must require skilled nursing care. Nationally, VA says admission to a State Veterans Home turns on clinical need and on whether a bed in the right setting is available.

What a Day Costs at the Delaware Veterans Home

The Delaware Veterans Home's current long-term care application calls its rate table "a projected snapshot" and says VA rates shown are projected and subject to change.

Veteran's VA rating Room Daily rate Projected VA per diem Veteran's cost per day 30-day month
Rated less than 70% service-connected Semi-private $320.00 $148.71 $171.29 $5,138.70

For a family paying it, $171.29 a day comes to $5,138.70 every month out of a parent's income and savings, and that is a heavy bill to carry month after month. Before you plan around it, read the next sections: VA payment in full and Medicaid are the two ways that bill can shrink.

The application says the daily room and board rate includes activities, basic cable, bed and bath linens, housekeeping, meals, routine nursing care, social services and telephone. The home's FAQ adds that, at a minimum, the cost covers a semi-private room with a bathroom shared with one other person and 24-hour medical and nursing care.

Treat every figure here as a starting point. The FAQ still dates its $320/day rate to May 1, 2023, and tells families to call the admissions office at (302) 424-8572 for current room rates; the application says DVH gives cost quotes only after a full review of an application.

Where the VA per diem comes from

For a veteran who doesn't qualify for payment in full, VA pays the state a per diem at the lesser of one-half of the daily cost of the care or the basic per diem rate VA sets each fiscal year, and by statute those payments can never exceed half the cost of the veteran's care. That is why the DVH table shows VA covering part of the $320.00 and the veteran covering the rest.

A spouse pays on her own

VA doesn't pay for the care of a non-veteran in a State Veterans Home. The Delaware Veterans Home FAQ says that when a veteran rated 100% is admitted, the veteran's spouse can be admitted too but must cover the spouse's own costs of care through private pay or Medicaid.

Private pay at the Delaware Veterans Home

The Delaware Veterans Home's long-term care application says a private-pay applicant must show proof of about $249,000 (the application writes "249K") readily available in conventional checking or savings. If that isn't realistic, look at Medicaid (below) before you rule the home out.

When VA Pays the Whole Bill at the Delaware Veterans Home

For some Delaware veterans, the $171.29 share isn't the family's bill. Under 38 U.S.C. 1745 and 38 CFR 51.41, VA contracts with a State home, or enters a State home care agreement, to pay for nursing home care for three groups of veterans:

  • a veteran who needs nursing home care for a VA adjudicated service-connected disability;
  • a veteran with a service-connected disability rated at 70% or more who needs nursing home care;
  • a veteran rated for total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU) who needs nursing home care, a group 38 CFR 51.41 adds.

For a veteran who needs nursing home care for a service-connected disability, is rated 70% or more, or has a TDIU rating, VA's payment to the State home for the veteran's nursing home care is payment in full, and under a State home care agreement the home may not charge any individual, insurer or other entity besides VA for the nursing home care VA paid for. A 70% VA disability rating by itself doesn't trigger VA payment in full at a State Veterans Home; the veteran must also need nursing home care.

DVH describes its side of this rule in its own words. The Delaware Veterans Home FAQ says the home does not bill veterans who are 70% or more disabled, as determined by VA, and that veterans who are 100% VA disabled incur no fee. The Delaware Veterans Home's long-term care application lists "70%-100% Service Connection Rating, VA covers stay" among accepted payments, but the same application's rate table for veterans rated 70% to 100% repeats the $171.29 daily veteran's cost. Because DVH's own paperwork disagrees, ask the admissions office to confirm in writing what it will bill your parent before you sign, and bring the VA award letter.

A disability claim still pending at admission isn't wasted. Under 38 CFR 51.41, when a veteran gets a retroactive service-connected rating that brings the veteran within the payment-in-full rule, the State home can request VA payment for nursing home care back to the rating's retroactive effective date or February 2, 2013, whichever is later.

Medicare, Medicaid and VA Pension at the Delaware Veterans Home

The Delaware Veterans Home's long-term care application says Medicare covers up to 100 days of short-term and rehabilitation-related stays only, and the short-term application says DVH isn't currently able to accept managed Medicare products. So a parent whose Medicare comes through a managed plan should ask the home about short-term rehab before counting on it. Our guide to Delaware nursing homes covers the private options.

The Delaware Veterans Home accepts long-term Medicaid with evidence of approval, and its application notes that a Delaware resident on Medicaid pays part of their monthly income toward patient liability while Medicaid pays the rest of the contracted rate. Our guide to Delaware Medicaid for nursing home care explains who qualifies.

A wartime veteran or surviving spouse may also qualify for VA pension, including Aid and Attendance; see how Aid and Attendance helps pay for a nursing home in Delaware. One federal rule protects that pension. When a veteran with no spouse or child is on Medicaid in a nursing facility, federal law generally caps VA pension at $90 a month, but the statute's definition of "nursing facility" for that cap, 38 U.S.C. 5503(d)(1)(B), excludes a State home for which VA pays per diem for nursing home care. So the $90 VA pension cap must not be applied to a Medicaid-covered veteran in a per-diem State home such as the Delaware Veterans Home.

How to Apply to the Delaware Veterans Home

The Delaware Veterans Home takes applications directly, and its admissions team reviews each one for the need for skilled nursing care and the ability to pay through VA, private pay, or Medicaid or Medicare.

1
Step 1

Pick the right application

Download either the Long Term Care or the Short Term & Rehab Care application from the DVH Admissions page, plus VA Form 10-10EZ.

2
Step 2

Gather every document on the checklist

The home asks that all supporting documents come with the application to avoid a delay.

3
Step 3

Send it in, preferably by email

DVH recommends email, to DOSDVH_Admissions@delaware.gov; the mailing address is 100 Delaware Veterans Blvd., Milford, DE 19963.

4
Step 4

Be ready for an interview

The home may schedule a pre-admission interview assessment with members of its clinical team.

5
Step 5

Finish within 90 days

A DVH application is valid for 90 days from submission; if it isn't complete by then, it's closed and you start over.

The DVH document checklist

The Delaware Veterans Home long-term care application asks for copies of:

  • photo ID;
  • the front and back of every active insurance card;
  • the veteran's DD214;
  • a financial power of attorney or guardianship document, and medical power of attorney documentation;
  • advance directives or a living will;
  • the 10-10EZ VA health benefits form, fully completed and signed;
  • bank statements for the last 3 consecutive months;
  • proof of Delaware residency for the past year, such as tax returns or property records;
  • for a veteran with a service-connected disability, a copy of the VA award letter.

No DVH source we found states a waiting list or processing time, so ask when you call. To visit first, the FAQ says tours must be scheduled in advance through the admissions office at (302) 424-8572. For help pulling VA paperwork together, start with VA benefits for senior care in Delaware.

If the Delaware Veterans Home Isn't the Right Fit

DVH may have no open bed, or Milford may be too far from family. VA has two nursing home programs of its own. A VA Community Living Center is a VA-run nursing home, most often for short stays after a hospital discharge, and eligibility turns on clinical need, setting availability, service-connected status, disability level and income. A VA Community Nursing Home is a non-VA nursing home VA contracts with, and VA pays only if the veteran meets its service-connected, disability and income criteria. Our guide to VA nursing home care compares them, and VA long-term care copays explains what a veteran may owe there.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a married couple share a room at the Delaware Veterans Home?

Sometimes. The Delaware Veterans Home FAQ says that if married, service-connected veterans are both admitted, they may share a room. A non-veteran spouse is a different case, and pays the home privately or through Medicaid, as covered above.

Can I fill out the Delaware Veterans Home application for my father?

The Delaware Veterans Home FAQ says a spouse who holds the veteran's power of attorney may apply on the veteran's behalf, and the application's checklist asks for a copy of any financial power of attorney or guardianship document. If an adult child is handling the paperwork, get the power of attorney in place first.

Where can we get a copy of Dad's DD214?

The Delaware Veterans Home application says a copy of the DD214 can be requested from the Delaware Office of Veterans Services at 302-739-2792.

When can family visit the Delaware Veterans Home?

Any time. The Delaware Veterans Home FAQ says family members have 24-hour access to the facility.

Learn More

VA BenefitsState Veterans Homes: Who Gets In, What It Costs, and How to ApplyState veterans homes are state-run, VA-certified care homes. See who gets in, how VA per diem and the 70% rating rule shape the cost, and find your state. VA BenefitsVA Benefits You Can Use for Senior Care in DelawareVA benefits can cover home care, nursing homes, and a VA pension worth up to $29,093 a year with Aid and Attendance for Delaware veterans. Access each in 2026. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for a Nursing Home in DelawareVA Aid and Attendance can help pay for a nursing home in Delaware. Learn the 2026 rates, who qualifies, the $90/month Medicaid cap, and how Medicaid interacts. MedicaidDelaware Medicaid and Nursing Home CareHow Delaware Medicaid nursing home coverage works in 2026: the asset limit, the 250% income cap and Miller Trust, patient liability, and estate recovery. VA BenefitsVA Nursing Homes and Community Living CentersVA community living centers, contracted nursing homes, and state veterans homes: who VA must cover, what the 70% rule means, 21 free days, and the daily copay.

Find personalized help choosing and applying to a Delaware veterans home at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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