If your dad can't live on his own anymore, the first West Virginia veterans home you find online may not be the one he needs. The West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance (WVDVA) runs two veterans facilities that do different jobs: the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville houses veterans who can still care for themselves, and the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg is a 120-bed nursing home.

In This Guide

How a State Veterans Home Works in West Virginia

A State Veterans Home is owned and run by a state government, not by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and it provides nursing home, domiciliary or adult day health care. VA must recognize and certify each State Veterans Home, surveys it every year, and may pay the state a per diem toward an eligible veteran's care, but each state sets its own eligibility and admission rules. Our national guide to State Veterans Homes shows how the program works in every state.

In West Virginia, those rules come from the West Virginia Department of Veterans Assistance and from Chapter 9A of the West Virginia Code. West Virginia Code §9A-2-1(a) defines a qualified veteran, for the article of the code that establishes the Barboursville home, as a veteran determined by the agency "who meets the requirements under federal regulations and laws," so WVDVA's published list is the agency's statement of its criteria rather than the whole legal test.

West Virginia's Two State Veterans Homes at a Glance

Read the type-of-care row first, because it decides which WVDVA facility your parent can apply to.

West Virginia Veterans Home (Barboursville) West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility (Clarksburg)
Type of care Domiciliary: long-term housing for veterans independent in all daily activities; not a treatment facility Nursing facility with nurses around the clock and a physician on call
Beds 125 120
Dementia care Cannot accommodate veterans who need daily care or skilled assistance 20-bed unit for Alzheimer's disease or dementia
Opened 1981 2008
Cost, as WVDVA states it Monthly maintenance fee of 50% of the veteran's monthly income No rate published; WVDVA says it is significantly less than the national average for nursing facility care
Phone (304) 736-1027 (304) 626-1600

Sources for the table: care type, beds, dementia care, opening years and cost come from WVDVA's two facility pages; the telephone numbers come from the same WVDVA pages.

The West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg

If your parent needs nursing care, this is West Virginia's state option. WVDVA describes the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility as a 120,000-square-foot, 120-bed facility that opened in 2008, with private and semi-private rooms, nurses available around the clock, a physician on call, pharmacy services, and a breezeway to the Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center. The West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility's 20-bed unit is reserved for residents who need specialized care because of Alzheimer's disease or dementia.

Plan for a wait. West Virginia Code §16-1B-1, a statement of legislative findings whose latest amendment came in the Legislature's 2014 regular session, states that the Clarksburg veterans skilled nursing facility "is currently at its maximum capacity and has a large waiting list for admission." That is the Legislature's finding, not a count of today's list, so ask the facility where the list stands now.

WVDVA's Clarksburg page doesn't publish admission criteria or a daily rate, so the facility itself is the place to get both. Call the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility at (304) 626-1600; it sits at One Freedom Way in Clarksburg.

The West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville

The Barboursville home is a place to live, not a place to get care. WVDVA says the West Virginia Veterans Home, a 125-bed facility on 23 acres, is not a treatment facility and cannot accommodate veterans who need daily care or skilled assistance. It does have a nursing department staffed at all hours for first aid, preventive care and medication help, and staff drive residents to the nearby VA Medical Center, where all advanced medical care is provided. The National Association of State Veterans Homes lists it as domiciliary care only.

WVDVA lists these basic requirements for the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville:

  • Discharge: an honorable discharge, or a general discharge under honorable conditions.
  • Independence: the veteran is ambulatory and independent in all activities of daily living. WVDVA will accept a veteran whose disabilities prevent gainful employment, as long as the veteran doesn't need skilled nursing care or hospitalization.
  • Length of service: at least 12 consecutive months of active duty or active reserve service, unless medically discharged for a service-connected injury sooner. A veteran who enlisted since September 7, 1980 needs at least 24 consecutive months on active duty or the entire period called to active duty, unless medically discharged for a service-connected injury sooner.
  • VA health care: the veteran is eligible for care at federal VA Medical Centers.
  • Health screening: specific pre-admission medical tests are completed before admission.

West Virginia law is broader than that list in two places, and either one can matter to your parent.

  • More ways past the 24-month rule. West Virginia Code §9A-2-1(b) applies the 24-month rule to a person first enlisting on or after September 8, 1980, but says it does not apply to a veteran discharged because of hardship, retired or separated because of disability, or later found to have a service-connected disability incurred during a completed enlistment. WVDVA's page mentions only the medical-discharge exception. Each statutory exception lifts the 24-month rule; it doesn't guarantee admission by itself.
  • A preference for West Virginians. West Virginia Code §9A-2-1(c) says that when a residential vacancy opens at a veterans home created under that article, a veteran who has lived in West Virginia for one year or more before applying gets preference over nonresident veterans. The statute states this as a preference in filling a vacancy, not a bar on nonresidents, and WVDVA's page doesn't mention residency at all.

What a West Virginia Veterans Facility Costs

At the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville, the math is simple. WVDVA says that, "as prescribed by federal law," the Domiciliary Program's costs are partly paid by a monthly maintenance fee of 50 percent of the veteran's monthly income, and that income is not a factor in admission. Half of Dad's income is a big share of what he lives on, so before he applies, sit down together with his monthly income and list what the other half still has to cover.

WVDVA publishes no dollar figure for the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg. WVDVA says only that the cost of care at the Clarksburg facility is significantly less than the national average for nursing facility care, and that families can pay the Clarksburg facility by credit card through a secure site run by the West Virginia State Treasurer's Office. Planning around a number nobody has published is unsettling, so ask Clarksburg admissions for the current daily rate before you commit to a budget.

VA's money is part of how a State Veterans Home keeps its costs down. Under VA's State Veterans Home per diem, VA pays the state for an eligible veteran's care at the lesser of one-half of the daily cost of care or the basic per diem rate VA sets each fiscal year, and 38 U.S.C. 1741 caps those payments at one-half of the cost of that veteran's care. VA does not pay a State Veterans Home for the care of a non-veteran.

If your parent already receives VA pension or Aid and Attendance, our guide to Aid and Attendance for a nursing home in West Virginia explains how that benefit changes once a veteran moves into nursing care, and our guide to West Virginia Medicaid and nursing home care covers the state's Medicaid route.

When VA Pays the Whole Nursing Home Bill

For some veterans, the nursing care bill at a State Veterans Home can be zero. Under 38 U.S.C. 1745 and 38 CFR 51.41, VA's payment to a State Veterans Home under a State home care agreement is payment in full for the nursing home care of a veteran who needs that care for a VA-adjudicated service-connected disability, a veteran rated 70% or more service-connected who needs nursing home care, or a veteran with a total disability rating based on individual unemployability (TDIU) who needs nursing home care, and the home may not charge the veteran, an insurer or anyone other than VA for that care.

VA's payment-in-full rule under 38 CFR 51.41 covers nursing home care, which in West Virginia means the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg, not the Barboursville domiciliary., None of the WVDVA pages we rely on says how the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility bills VA, so if your parent has a qualifying rating, ask Clarksburg admissions to confirm the facility will bill VA under a State home care agreement.

If your parent doesn't have a VA rating yet, our guide to VA benefits for senior care in West Virginia explains where West Virginia veterans can get help with a claim.

What Happened to the Beckley Veterans Nursing Home?

You may have read that West Virginia is building a second veterans nursing home in Beckley. It isn't open. WVDVA says it broke ground in October 2023 on the Charles Calvin Rogers State Veteran Nursing Facility, a planned 120-bed nursing home to be financed through a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs grant, with construction estimated at 18 months to two years.

West Virginia Watch reported on July 3, 2026 that the Beckley lot was still empty because VA's State Home Construction Grant money had not been released to West Virginia, and quoted WVDVA's secretary saying the state hopes the federal funding comes through so it can start building. For a family deciding now, the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg is the only state veterans nursing facility operating in West Virginia.

How to Apply

Start by deciding which West Virginia facility fits your parent's needs today, because WVDVA lists a separate address and phone line for Barboursville and for Clarksburg.

1
Step 1

Match the facility to the care

Use the type-of-care row in the at-a-glance table above to pick Barboursville or Clarksburg before you call.

2
Step 2

Call the facility or a WVDVA office

Reach Clarksburg at (304) 626-1600 or Barboursville at (304) 736-1027. WVDVA says help with a Barboursville residency application is available at any WVDVA Benefits Office, and you can also contact the home directly.

3
Step 3

Gather the veteran's papers

For the Barboursville home, the National Association of State Veterans Homes says a copy of the veteran's DD form 214 must be submitted with the application, along with preadmission testing and certain medical records.

4
Step 4

Finish the medical screening

WVDVA requires specific pre-admission medical tests before a veteran moves into the Barboursville home.

5
Step 5

Ask Clarksburg the four big questions

WVDVA's Clarksburg page doesn't publish them, so ask the West Virginia Veterans Nursing Facility for its admission criteria, its daily rate, where the waiting list stands, and whether your parent's care would be billed to VA.

Frequently Asked Questions

My father is homeless right now. Can the Barboursville veterans home help quickly?

Yes, through a separate program. WVDVA's Project-214 Program at the West Virginia Veterans Home in Barboursville gives a veteran experiencing homelessness the facility's services for 60 days at no cost, and counts the veteran as having a temporary residence so he can work with VA's homeless services.

Can my mother live in a West Virginia veterans facility with my father?

Our sources don't say. VA notes that some State Veterans Homes admit non-veteran spouses while others admit only veterans, and VA does not pay toward a non-veteran's care. Ask the Clarksburg or Barboursville admissions office directly.

What if Dad's service-connected rating comes through after he moves in?

It can still pay off. Under 38 CFR 51.41, when VA grants a retroactive service-connected rating that brings a veteran under the payment-in-full rule, the State Veterans Home can ask VA for payment back to the rating's effective date or February 2, 2013, whichever is later.

Is West Virginia planning more veterans homes besides Beckley?

West Virginia law calls for a study. West Virginia Code §9A-2-1(d) directs the WVDVA secretary to study "the need for additional veterans homes," and West Virginia Code §9A-2-1(a) designates the Barboursville home as "the sole veterans home of its type in the state."

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 West VirginiaVA benefits cover senior care in West Virginia: home care, nursing homes, Aid and Attendance, and two state veterans homes. See who qualifies and how to apply. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for a Nursing Home in West VirginiaHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for a nursing home in West Virginia: 2026 rates, the medical-expense deduction, the $90 Medicaid cap, and how to apply. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for Memory Care in West VirginiaHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for memory care in West Virginia: 2026 rates, why dementia qualifies, the medical-expense rule, and how to apply for free. Care TypesNursing Homes in West VirginiaNursing homes in West Virginia in 2026: a semi-private room runs about $154,030/year, among the highest nationally. What it costs, who pays, and how to vet one.

Find personalized help choosing and applying to a West Virginia veterans facility 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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