Getting into a veterans nursing home starts with two things: confirming your eligibility through the VA health care system and applying to the right type of facility. Some veterans are guaranteed nursing home care by law, while others can access it based on available space and their priority level. Understanding where you fall in that hierarchy, and which type of facility fits your needs, makes the process far more straightforward.
Who Is Guaranteed Admission
The VA is required by law to provide nursing home care to certain veterans. You fall into this mandatory category if any of the following apply to you:
- Service-connected need: You need nursing home care specifically for a condition related to your military service.
- 70% or greater disability rating: You have a service-connected disability rated at 70% or higher.
- Total disability based on individual unemployability (TDIU): The VA has determined your service-connected disabilities prevent you from holding substantially gainful employment.
If you don’t meet any of those criteria but were honorably discharged, you can still receive VA nursing home care. The difference is that your admission depends on available resources, your clinical need, and your priority group ranking. In practical terms, this means you may face a waitlist, especially at facilities in high-demand areas.
How Priority Groups Affect Your Placement
When you enroll in VA health care, you’re assigned to one of eight priority groups. This ranking shapes how quickly you’ll be placed when beds are limited. Priority group 1 includes veterans with a 50% or greater service-connected disability, those rated as unemployable, and Medal of Honor recipients. Groups 2 and 3 cover veterans with lower disability ratings, former prisoners of war, and Purple Heart recipients. Group 4 covers veterans receiving aid and attendance benefits or those classified as catastrophically disabled.
Groups 5 through 8 are based primarily on income rather than disability. Group 5 includes veterans with no service-connected disability whose income falls below VA-adjusted limits, along with those receiving VA pension or eligible for Medicaid. Groups 7 and 8 are for veterans whose household income exceeds VA thresholds, and both require agreeing to copays as a condition of enrollment.
Your priority group doesn’t just determine whether you get in. It also determines what you’ll pay once you’re there.
Three Types of Veterans Nursing Facilities
There isn’t just one kind of veterans nursing home. The VA system includes three distinct facility types, each with different admission paths.
Community Living Centers
These are nursing homes directly operated by the VA, located on or near VA medical center campuses. They provide skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, hospice, and dementia care. Because they’re VA-run, admission goes through the VA health care system and is based on your medical need and service-connected status. These facilities tend to have the longest waitlists.
State Veterans Homes
Every state operates its own veterans homes, funded through a mix of state money and VA per diem payments. Each state sets its own eligibility and admission criteria independently. Some state homes admit spouses, surviving spouses, and Gold Star parents alongside veterans, while others admit only veterans. To find out the specific rules for your state, you’ll need to contact the home directly or check your state’s department of veterans affairs website. State veterans homes often offer the most affordable long-term option.
Community Nursing Homes
When a VA facility can’t meet your needs or isn’t available nearby, the VA can place you in a private nursing home under contract. These community nursing homes must meet quality standards: generally a three-to-five-star rating on the CMS Nursing Home Compare system, or a two-star rating with a four-star or higher quality measures score. Facilities with lower ratings can only participate with special approval from a VA medical facility’s leadership.
To qualify for placement in a community nursing home, you must meet one of several conditions under the VA MISSION Act. The most common pathways are: the service you need isn’t available at a VA facility, you live in a state without a full-service VA medical center (Alaska, Hawaii, New Hampshire, or a U.S. territory), or you and your VA provider agree that a community placement would lead to better clinical outcomes for your situation.
The Application Process Step by Step
You can’t walk into a veterans nursing home and apply directly. The process runs through the VA health care system, so your first step is enrollment if you haven’t done it already.
Start by applying for VA health care using VA Form 10-10EZ. You can submit this online at VA.gov, by mail, in person at a VA medical center, or by phone. If you’re already enrolled in VA health care, you can skip this step.
Once enrolled, you’ll need to complete VA Form 10-10EC, the Application for Extended Care Services. This form specifically covers nursing home care, domiciliary care, adult day health care, geriatric evaluation, and respite care. Your VA primary care provider or a VA social worker will assess your clinical needs and help determine which level of care is appropriate.
The VA social worker or geriatric care coordinator at your local VA medical center is your most important contact in this process. They evaluate your medical situation, review your eligibility, identify which facility type fits your needs, and manage the referral. If you’re helping a family member, call the VA medical center nearest to them and ask to speak with social work or the geriatrics and extended care team.
For state veterans homes, the application process is separate. You’ll typically apply directly to the state home, providing proof of military service (DD-214), residency documentation, and medical records. Many states maintain their own waitlists independent of the VA system.
What You’ll Pay
Cost depends entirely on your priority group and service-connected status. Veterans in the mandatory care categories (70% or greater disability, service-connected need, or TDIU) generally pay nothing for nursing home care.
For everyone else, the VA charges copays for extended care. In 2026, the maximum copay for inpatient geriatric and extended care is $97 per day. Outpatient extended care tops out at $15 per day. These amounts are adjusted based on your income and assets, so many veterans pay less than the maximum. The VA conducts a financial assessment as part of the enrollment process to determine your specific rate.
State veterans homes have their own fee structures, which vary widely. Most accept VA per diem payments, Medicaid, Medicare, and private pay. Some states offer significantly lower rates than private nursing homes, making them a practical choice for veterans who don’t qualify for full VA coverage.
What to Prepare Before You Start
Gathering your documents ahead of time speeds up an already slow process. You’ll want your DD-214 or other discharge paperwork, your VA disability rating letter if you have one, recent medical records showing your care needs, financial information including income and assets for the means test, and insurance details including Medicare or Medicaid cards.
If the veteran has cognitive decline and can’t manage the process themselves, a family member with power of attorney or a VA-appointed fiduciary can handle the application. The VA social work team can guide you through establishing this if it hasn’t been set up yet.
Waitlists for VA Community Living Centers and popular state veterans homes can stretch months or longer. If the need is urgent, make sure the VA social worker knows. They can sometimes arrange temporary placement in a community nursing home while a longer-term bed opens up, or set up shorter-term options like VA respite care to bridge the gap.