At a State Veterans Home, VA pays in full for nursing home care for a veteran who needs it and has a 70%+ service-connected rating, an unemployability (TDIU) rating, or a service-connected need. So when someone at a hospital discharge meeting says "your dad could go to the veterans home," it pays to know what that home is: State Veterans Homes are owned and run by state governments, and VA certifies and inspects each one every year. Each state decides who gets into its State Veterans Homes, and for an eligible veteran without a 70% or higher service-connected rating, a TDIU rating, or a service-connected need for nursing home care, VA's daily per diem can never pay more than half the cost of that veteran's care in a State Veterans Home.,

In This Guide

What Is a State Veterans Home?

The name makes it sound like part of VA, and that's an easy mix-up. A State Veterans Home belongs to a state government, which owns it, operates it and manages it. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs certifies each home and pays toward eligible veterans' care, but VA says plainly that it "does not manage State Veterans Homes."

According to VA's State Veterans Home program page, State Veterans Homes are in all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Each home offers at least one of three kinds of care, and some offer more than one:

  • nursing home care
  • domiciliary care
  • adult day health care

When someone mentions "the veterans home," ask which of those programs they mean before you do anything else.

How VA and the State Split the Job

Think of it as a partnership where the state does the running and VA does the checking and part of the paying.

VA's side of the arrangement, per its program pages and the statute behind it:

  • Certification. A facility has to be formally recognized and certified by VA before it can join the State Veterans Home program.
  • Annual inspection. VA surveys every State Veterans Home each year to make sure it still meets VA standards.
  • Per diem. VA pays the state a daily amount toward the care of eligible veterans living in the home.
  • Construction grants. A state can ask VA for up to 65% of the cost of building or buying a state nursing home or domiciliary, or of renovating an existing State Home. Under 38 U.S.C. 8135, the grant for a project can't exceed 65% of its estimated cost.

The state's side is everything else: owning and running the home and deciding who's admitted, which is why the cost to a resident varies from state to state.

Who Can Get Into a State Veterans Home?

The honest answer is that it depends on your state, because each state establishes the eligibility and admission criteria for its own homes. VA's program page frames eligibility for State Veterans Homes as based on "clinical need and setting availability," which in practice means two things: the veteran needs the level of care the home provides, and there's a bed or slot open.

Can a spouse live in a State Veterans Home?

Sometimes. VA puts it this way: "Some State Veterans Homes may admit non-Veteran spouses and gold star parents while others may admit only Veterans." If you're hoping Mom and Dad can move in together, that's a question for the specific home, and it's worth asking on the first call rather than the last.

There's a money side to this too. VA's per diem is for eligible veterans, and VA says it "does not pay for care for non-Veterans." So a non-veteran spouse admitted to a State Veterans Home pays whatever that state's home charges, without VA's help toward that spouse's care.

What Does a State Veterans Home Cost?

VA's own summary is short: "The cost to you varies by state." VA's payments to a recognized State Veterans Home help defray the cost of care for veterans. How much VA pays depends on which of two groups the veteran falls into.

The basic per diem

For an eligible veteran, VA pays the state a daily per diem for the veteran's care at the State Veterans Home. Under VA's regulation at 38 CFR 51.40, that per diem is the lesser of two amounts: half the daily cost of the veteran's care, or the basic per diem rate VA sets for each fiscal year. And 38 U.S.C. 1741 caps it outright: VA's per diem payments for any veteran can never exceed one-half of the cost of that veteran's care in the State home.

We're not printing a per diem dollar amount here, because VA resets the basic rate every fiscal year. The practical question for the home is simple: what's your daily rate, how much does VA's per diem cover, and what's left for us?

Payment in full (service-connected need, a 70% rating, or TDIU)

This is the rule that can change a family's whole budget. Under 38 U.S.C. 1745, VA enters into a contract or agreement with each State home to pay for nursing home care for:

For a veteran who needs nursing home care for a service-connected disability, or who has a service-connected rating of 70% or more and needs that care, VA's payment to the State Veterans Home "constitutes payment in full" for that nursing home care.

VA's regulation, 38 CFR 51.41, also lists a third group: a veteran with a rating of total disability based on individual unemployability (often called TDIU) who needs nursing home care. VA's payment for that veteran's nursing home care is payment in full too. Under a State home care agreement, the home can't charge the veteran, an insurer or anyone else other than VA for the nursing home care VA pays for.

Two details are worth knowing before you sit down with the home:

  • It's about nursing home care. Section 1745(a) is written for nursing home care. If your veteran is in a home's domiciliary program, ask the home how its charges work there.
  • A new rating can reach back. If a veteran gets a retroactive service-connected rating that qualifies them for VA's payment-in-full rule (a 70% or higher rating, a TDIU rating, or nursing home care needed for a service-connected disability), 38 CFR 51.41 lets the State Veterans Home ask VA to pay for that nursing home care back to the rating's effective date or February 2, 2013, whichever is later. If a claim for VA disability compensation is pending, tell the home.

State Veterans Home vs. VA Nursing Home vs. Community Nursing Home

VA lists three places a veteran can get nursing home care: Community Living Centers, Community Nursing Homes, and State Veterans Homes. For all three nursing home settings, VA says whether its benefits help pay "depends on your income and the level of your service-connected disability."

The three look similar from the parking lot. Who runs them, and how VA pays, is where they split.

State Veterans Home VA Community Living Center Community Nursing Home
Who runs it The state government; VA certifies and surveys it yearly VA itself; most sit on or near a VA medical center campus A non-VA nursing home that VA contracts with
Who decides admission The state, under its own criteria VA, based on clinical need and availability; the veteran must be enrolled in VA health care VA pays only if the veteran meets its service-connected, disability and income criteria
How VA pays Per diem up to half the cost of care; payment in full for nursing home care for a veteran who needs it because of a service-connected disability, or who has a 70%+ service-connected rating or a TDIU rating and needs it For veterans who aren't exempt, no copay for the first 21 days in a 12-month period, then up to $97 a day in 2026 VA pays for eligible veterans; others use their own resources, which may include Medicare or Medicaid
Care offered Nursing home, domiciliary or adult day health care 24-hour skilled nursing, mostly for short stays after a hospital discharge Full-time living with 24-hour skilled nursing

The 2026 Community Living Center copay of up to $97 a day is a ceiling, not a set charge. Under VA's extended care copay rule, 38 CFR 17.111, a veteran owes the copay only to the extent the veteran and spouse have available resources: for the first 180 days of extended care, VA counts only income, and from day 181 it also counts liquid and fixed assets. Some veterans are exempt from these copays altogether, including a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability.

For what VA pays in each setting in more depth, see our guide to whether the VA pays for nursing home care.

VA Pension and Medicaid in a State Veterans Home

If your veteran gets VA Veterans Pension (with or without Aid and Attendance) and also has Medicaid, you may have heard the pension drops to $90 a month in a nursing home. The federal rule that caps VA Veterans Pension at $90 a month for a Medicaid-covered veteran in a nursing facility doesn't reach a veteran living in a State Veterans Home that gets VA's nursing home per diem. Here's why. The cap, in 38 U.S.C. 5503(d), covers a veteran with no spouse or child (and a surviving spouse with no child) whose nursing facility care Medicaid pays for, and the law's definition of a nursing facility leaves out a State home that receives VA's nursing home per diem under section 1741(a). So before you plan your veteran's monthly budget around a $90 pension check, ask VA how it will treat the pension in that home.

For the bigger picture on pension, Aid and Attendance and Medicaid in long-term care, our guides to how VA Aid and Attendance pays for a nursing home and how VA benefits work with Medicaid walk through it.

How to Apply to a State Veterans Home

Because each state sets admission for its own homes, start with the home itself or the state office that runs it. Here's a sensible order:

1
Step 1

Find your state's homes

Pick your state below. Your Brevy state guide covers the veterans benefits available there, and many include a section on the state's veterans homes.

2
Step 2

Call the home, or the state office that runs it

Ask for its admission criteria, whether it admits spouses, its current wait for a bed, and its daily rate.

3
Step 3

Ask what VA's payment covers

Tell the home whether your veteran has a service-connected rating, and at what percentage, so it can tell you whether the per diem or the payment-in-full rule applies.

4
Step 4

Get enrolled in VA health care if your veteran isn't already

VA offers its own long-term care services to veterans signed up for VA health care, and you apply with VA Form 10-10EZ online, by phone, by mail or in person at a VA medical center., Ask the state home whether it needs anything from VA as part of its own application.

If you're still weighing homes, our step-by-step guide to choosing a nursing home covers what to look for on a tour.

State Veterans Homes by State

Each state runs its own veterans homes and sets its own admission rules. Pick your state for our guide to its veterans homes where we have one, and otherwise for the VA senior-care benefits available there, including, in most states, its veterans homes.

AlabamaView guide AlaskaView guide ArizonaView guide ArkansasView guide CaliforniaView guide ColoradoView guide ConnecticutView guide DelawareView guide District of ColumbiaView guide FloridaView guide GeorgiaView guide HawaiiView guide IdahoView guide IllinoisView guide IndianaView guide IowaView guide KansasView guide KentuckyView guide LouisianaView guide MaineView guide MarylandView guide MassachusettsView guide MichiganView guide MinnesotaView guide MississippiView guide MissouriView guide MontanaView guide NebraskaView guide NevadaView guide New HampshireView guide New JerseyView guide New MexicoView guide New YorkView guide North CarolinaView guide North DakotaView guide OhioView guide OklahomaView guide OregonView guide PennsylvaniaView guide Rhode IslandView guide South CarolinaView guide South DakotaView guide TennesseeView guide TexasView guide UtahView guide VermontView guide VirginiaView guide Washington StateView guide West VirginiaView guide WisconsinView guide WyomingView guide
51 states

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a State Veterans Home the same as a VA nursing home?

No. VA's own nursing homes are called Community Living Centers, and VA runs them, mostly for short stays after a hospital discharge. A State Veterans Home is owned and run by a state, which sets its own admission rules, while VA certifies it and pays toward eligible veterans' care.,

Is a State Veterans Home free with a 70% VA rating?

The nursing home care itself can be. For a veteran with a service-connected rating of 70% or more who needs nursing home care, VA's payment to the State Veterans Home is payment in full for that nursing home care. Under a State home care agreement, VA's rate follows a formula that reflects the going rate for nursing home care in the home's area, and VA adjusts it every year. Ask the home what, if anything, it charges outside that nursing home care.

Does the 70% rule cover domiciliary or adult day health care at a State Veterans Home?

The payment-in-full rule in 38 U.S.C. 1745(a) is written for nursing home care. A separate part of that law, 38 U.S.C. 1745(d), provides for VA agreements to pay State homes for medical supervision model adult day health care for a qualifying veteran on whose behalf the home isn't receiving VA payment for nursing home care. If your veteran is in a domiciliary program, ask the home how its charges work there.

Learn More

VA BenefitsDoes the VA Pay for Nursing Home Care?VA 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. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Pays for a Nursing HomeHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for nursing home care: the 2026 amounts, the medical-expense rule, the $90 Medicaid pension cap, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Senior Care: A Complete Guide for Veterans and FamiliesA complete guide to VA benefits for senior care: long-term care, Aid and Attendance, pensions, DIC, and home grants for older veterans and surviving spouses. VA BenefitsVA Health Care Enrollment and Priority Groups: A Guide for Older VeteransHow VA health care enrollment and priority groups work for older veterans: who can enroll, the 8 priority groups, copays, how to apply, and long-term care. VA BenefitsHow VA Benefits Work with Medicaid for Long-Term CareHow VA benefits and Medicaid work together for long-term care in 2026: the $90 nursing-home pension cap, how each counts income, and why state rules matter. Care TypesNursing Homes by State: Costs, Medicaid Coverage, and How to ChooseWhat a nursing home costs, how Medicaid pays for it, and how facilities are rated all share a federal floor but vary by state. See yours, with a 50-state guide.

Find personalized help getting a veteran into a State 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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