If your veteran parent needs round-the-clock care in New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton is the state's only veterans home, according to the Home. The New Hampshire Veterans Home is a state-owned long-term care facility with a capacity of 250 residents. What a family pays there depends on the veteran's assets and income, and New Hampshire changed its discharge rule for admission on August 31, 2026. Here is who gets in, what the family pays, and how admission works.

In This Guide

What the New Hampshire Veterans Home Is

A State Veterans Home is a home that a state owns and runs, and that VA formally recognizes, certifies and surveys every year, while each state sets its own admission rules. Our national guide to State Veterans Homes explains how the program works across the country.

New Hampshire's is the New Hampshire Veterans Home (NHVH). The Home says it is not run by VA: it is a state-owned facility for veterans established in 1890, a New Hampshire state agency whose operating expenses are mostly paid by the State of New Hampshire, and VA inspects it every year.

Question What the Home says
Where is it? 139 Winter Street, Tilton, NH 03276
How big is it? Capacity of 250 residents
What kind of care? Long-term (custodial) care with 24-hour nursing, from minimal assistance to total and end-of-life care
Dementia care? Neighborhoods designed for residents with dementia, with single rooms
Hospice? Palliative care, plus the Medicare hospice benefit through a contracted hospice agency
Medicare skilled nursing? No. The Home has no skilled nursing (SNF) contract with Medicare
Secure psychiatric unit? No

The Army's MyArmyBenefits New Hampshire page describes the Home the same way: a 250 bed intermediate and long-term care facility in Tilton that also offers hospice and palliative care.

Two details decide whether the Home fits your parent. The New Hampshire Veterans Home is not a Medicare skilled nursing facility, and is strictly a long-term custodial care home, so it isn't the place for a short rehab stay after a hospital discharge. And the Home has no secure psychiatric unit.

Who Qualifies for the New Hampshire Veterans Home

New Hampshire's admission rule sits in state law, and it changed this year. Under New Hampshire RSA 119:1, as amended effective August 31, 2026, the New Hampshire Veterans Home serves veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. armed forces as defined by 38 U.S.C. section 101, or in reserve units or the New Hampshire Army or Air National Guard, and who were "discharged of a character outlined in RSA 21:50."

New Hampshire RSA 21:50 counts three kinds of discharge:

  • an honorable discharge;
  • a general discharge under honorable conditions;
  • an uncharacterized discharge based on a service-connected injury, illness, or disability.

The New Hampshire Veterans Home's own FAQs, and the Army's MyArmyBenefits New Hampshire page, still say an applicant must have been "honorably discharged." If your parent's DD-214 shows a general discharge under honorable conditions, ask the Home's Admissions office how it applies the amended RSA 119:1 before you assume a "no."

Residency. New Hampshire RSA 119:1 requires one year of New Hampshire residence before the application, with two exceptions:

  • A New Hampshire home of record. New Hampshire RSA 119:1 waives the year for a veteran whose DD214, or any document the Home uses for admission, shows a New Hampshire home of record at discharge from active duty.
  • A medical discharge straight from a hospital. New Hampshire RSA 119:1 also waives the year for an active duty service member with a New Hampshire home of record who is being discharged directly from a medical facility.

So a father who enlisted from Manchester and retired to Arizona can come home to Tilton without waiting a year, if his discharge papers list New Hampshire. The Home's FAQs mention only the home-of-record exception, so if your family fits the medical-discharge case, point the Admissions office to New Hampshire RSA 119:1, II(b).

What the Home doesn't require. The New Hampshire Veterans Home's FAQs say an applicant doesn't need combat service, wartime service or a service-connected disability, and that there is no minimum age.

What the Home does require. The New Hampshire Veterans Home's FAQs also say an applicant's condition must be within the Home's resources and ability to treat, and the applicant may not present potential harm to self or other residents.

Spouses. The Home admits a spouse only if the spouse is a veteran who meets the same admission criteria; a spouse who is not a veteran is not eligible. If Mom and Dad hoped to move in together, that answer usually settles it.

What a Stay at the New Hampshire Veterans Home Costs

The New Hampshire Veterans Home publishes its own formula on its Expenses page, and it turns on one number: $30,000 in assets.

  • Assets above $30,000. As of 2026, the New Hampshire Veterans Home charges a veteran with more than $30,000 in assets as a self-pay resident at $348.00 a day, a rate the Home says is subject to yearly change, until assets fall below $30,000. At $348 a day, a 30-day month comes to about $10,440, and savings above $30,000 go toward that bill until they fall below $30,000. That is a hard number to read about a parent, so run the spouse comparison below before you apply.
  • Assets below $30,000. The Home takes the veteran's total gross monthly income, subtracts $100, and charges 90% of the rest each month.

Here is the formula at work. A veteran with $3,000 a month in income and less than $30,000 in assets would owe the Home ($3,000 minus $100) times 90%, or $2,610 a month. The Home says the 10% it leaves the veteran is for personal needs and expenses its charge doesn't cover.

"Income" is broad at the New Hampshire Veterans Home. The Home's Expenses page counts all income from federal, state or private sources, including Social Security, retirement of any kind, interest, annuities, VA disability compensation and long-term care insurance.

Assets and the look-back. The New Hampshire Veterans Home looks back one year at all assets, including the spouse's assets if the veteran is still married. The Home doesn't count the family home if a spouse, civil union partner or dependent child still lives there, or if legal documents show someone else owns it.

What the charge covers, and what it doesn't. The Home's Expenses page says room and board covers nursing home level care, and it lists what falls outside the charge.

Covered by the charge Not covered by the charge
Covered VA formulary medications Brand-name drugs off the VA formulary
24-hour nursing care Medicare co-pays
Meals and snacks Supplemental insurance premiums
Housekeeping and laundry The in-house primary care physician
Incontinence products Haircuts
On-site physical and occupational therapy Clothing and toiletries
Rides to medical appointments the Home's doctor orders Eyeglasses
Coordination of VA and pension benefits Dentures and hearing aids

When the spouse at home depends on that income. The 90% charge can leave a spouse at home short, and the New Hampshire Veterans Home says so itself. Its FAQs say that if a veteran would pay 90% of monthly income to the Home and the spouse depends on that income, it may be better for the spouse if the veteran applies for Medicaid and lives at another long-term care facility, because New Hampshire Medicaid offers a monthly allowance to a spouse who qualifies. Our guide to New Hampshire Medicaid spousal impoverishment rules explains that allowance. Run both numbers before you choose.

If your parent may qualify for a VA pension with Aid and Attendance, our guide to Aid and Attendance for a nursing home in New Hampshire explains how that monthly money works.

When VA Covers the Whole Bill at the New Hampshire Veterans Home

VA pays State Veterans Homes on two bases. For an eligible veteran outside the payment-in-full rule below, VA's State Veterans Home per diem goes to the state at the lesser of one-half of the daily cost of care or the basic per diem rate VA sets each fiscal year. VA pays nothing toward the care of a non-veteran at a State Veterans Home.

The second basis can end the nursing home bill. Under 38 U.S.C. 1745 and 38 CFR 51.41, VA contracts with State Veterans Homes to pay for the nursing home care of a veteran who needs nursing home care and who:

  • needs that care for a VA adjudicated service-connected disability;
  • has a service-connected disability rated at 70 percent or more;
  • under VA's regulation, 38 CFR 51.41, has a rating of total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU).

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 a State Veterans Home is payment in full for that nursing home care, and under a State home care agreement the home may not charge the veteran, an insurer or anyone other than VA for the care VA paid for. A 70% rating alone isn't enough; the need for nursing home care is part of every test.

The New Hampshire Veterans Home's own Expenses page doesn't mention this rule, so the family has to raise it. If your parent meets one of the three tests, bring the VA rating decision to the Home's business office and ask in writing how the Home bills VA under 38 CFR 51.41 before you sign the financial agreement.

The same conversation matters if the rating comes through after your parent moves to Tilton. Under 38 CFR 51.41, a State Veterans Home can bill VA back to the effective date of a retroactive service-connected rating, or February 2, 2013, whichever is later. A pending VA claim is no reason to delay the application.

How to Apply to the New Hampshire Veterans Home

Under New Hampshire RSA 119:9, a veteran applies to the New Hampshire Veterans Home on the Home's own forms, and the Home's board of managers sets the admission rules, including an appeal process. The Home calls its application long and complex and says to plan ahead.

1
Step 1

Call Admissions

Request the New Hampshire Veterans Home admissions packet from the Admissions Office at (603) 527-4400, or download it from the Home's Admission Process page; the Home says anyone, including your parent, can make the referral.

2
Step 2

Gather the papers

The Home asks for the DD-214 or other papers showing discharge type, 12 months of medical and psychological records, insurance cards, advance directives, spouse documents, and a year of financial and income records.

3
Step 3

Get the doctor's forms done

The Home's FAQs say your parent's physician must complete VA Form 10-10SH and the NH Medical Information Form.

4
Step 4

Expect two reviews and a visit

The Home's business office checks the financial forms, its medical director and psychiatrist review the medical records, and an Admission Coordinator visits your parent where they live now.

5
Step 5

Wait for the committee

The Home's Admissions Committee decides; an approved applicant joins a candidate pool and moves in when a bed opens on a unit suited to their level of care.

The New Hampshire Veterans Home says vacancies vary from month to month and the whole admission process takes two to four months on average. If your parent can't make decisions and has no legal spokesperson, or the family disagrees, the Home may recommend that a court appoint a guardian before it considers the application, so settle power of attorney or guardianship early.

For help with a VA disability claim while you wait, our guide to VA benefits for senior care in New Hampshire points to New Hampshire's veterans service officers.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can we do if the New Hampshire Veterans Home turns our application down?

Appeal quickly. The New Hampshire Veterans Home's FAQs say a denied applicant may appeal by sending a letter to the Admissions Coordinator asking for a review, and the Home must receive that letter within 15 days of receiving the notice of ineligibility.

Which days does the New Hampshire Veterans Home admit new residents?

The New Hampshire Veterans Home admits new residents only on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, according to its FAQs. Its Admissions office is open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and tours can be booked through it.

Does New Hampshire law cover assisted living or domiciliary care for veterans outside Tilton?

New Hampshire RSA 119:1, III says the care it covers includes nursing care, assisted living, domiciliary, day care, dementia, chemical dependency and psychiatric services, provided at the veterans home or contracted through other facilities, inside or outside New Hampshire. The Home describes itself as a long-term custodial nursing home, so ask Admissions what it can arrange if your parent needs a lighter level of care.

Will my parent get a private room at the New Hampshire Veterans Home?

Only in the dementia neighborhoods, most likely. The New Hampshire Veterans Home says every room on its Life Enhancement Neighborhoods, for veterans with cognitive loss, is a single, while most other residents have a roommate and its few private rooms go by clinical need, not preference.

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 New HampshireA guide to VA senior care benefits in New Hampshire: home care, nursing homes, Aid and Attendance, the state veterans home, and how to access them in 2026. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for a Nursing Home in New HampshireHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for a nursing home in New Hampshire: 2026 rates, who qualifies, the $90 Medicaid cap, and how to apply with free help. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for Memory Care in New HampshireHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for memory care in New Hampshire: 2026 rates, why veterans with dementia qualify, and how to apply with free help. MedicaidNew Hampshire Medicaid Long-Term Care: Nursing Home and Home CareNew Hampshire Medicaid pays for long-term care in a nursing home or at home through the Choices for Independence waiver. See the 2026 income and asset limits. VA BenefitsVA Long-Term Care Copays: What Families Pay and Who Pays NothingThe first 21 days are free. After that, the VA long-term care copay is up to $97 a day for a nursing home stay, and some veterans owe nothing. Who is exempt.

Find personalized help choosing and applying to the veterans home in New Hampshire 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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