{
  "id": "R44697",
  "type": "CRS Report",
  "typeId": "REPORTS",
  "number": "R44697",
  "active": false,
  "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
  "versions": [
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 586824,
      "date": "2017-02-14",
      "retrieved": "2020-01-02T17:04:11.552408",
      "title": "Long-Term Care Services for Veterans",
      "summary": "The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), an operating unit of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is a direct service provider of health care, similar in many ways to a large private sector health care system. In addition to providing inpatient, outpatient, and a range of other medical care services, the VHA provides and purchases long-term care services. The VA is one of two federal payers of long-term care services (the other being Medicaid).\nSince the 1960s, the VA has been authorized to provide nursing home care to eligible veterans in various settings, including VA facilities, private nursing facilities contracted by the VA, and state veterans homes (P.L. 88-450). These nursing home benefits were further expanded in subsequent legislation (P.L. 91-101 and P.L. 93-82). In 1999, the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (P.L. 106-117) required the VA to provide such benefits to veterans needing nursing home care due to one of their service-connected conditions, as well as veterans who overall have a service-connected disability rating of 70% or more, who need the care for any condition, service-connected or not. In addition, the law required the VA to maintain staffing and level of services for institutional care not less than the FY1998 level; the law also required non-institutional long-term care services as part of the VA medical benefits package.\nAbout 9.1 million veterans (43% of all veterans) were estimated to be enrolled in the VHA in FY2016. Although the overall number of veterans in the United States has declined since FY2000, the number of veterans enrolled in the VHA has increased significantly in that same time period. In FY2000, just over 4.9 million veterans were enrolled in the VHA; by FY2016 that number was estimated to have increased 86%, to 9.1 million enrollees. This increase is due, in part, to the growing number of veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as more liberal enrollment policies. Among veterans with a service-connected disability, the proportion who have a disability rated as 70% or more service-connected (and therefore eligible for VA paid nursing home care) has also increased.\nVA long-term care programs are administered at the VA facility level, with some variability in how programs are administered. Each VA facility offers certain mandatory programs and may offer several optional programs as well. Eligibility for VA long-term care programs depends on eligibility for VA health care, which is based primarily on \u201cveteran status\u201d resulting from military service. Once enrolled, veterans\u2019 eligibility for long-term care services depends on several factors, including veterans\u2019 need for the service (as determined by the VA), whether the service is institutional or non-institutional, and (for certain programs), veterans\u2019 service-connected status.\nInstitutional settings may include both inpatient acute care and nursing home care. However, the majority of VA long-term care provided in institutional settings occurs in nursing home facilities, such as VA Community Living Centers (CLCs), community nursing homes, and state veterans homes. Non-institutional care includes outpatient and ambulatory care settings, as well as care that occurs in the home or another community-based setting. Non-institutional services include\nhome-based primary care,\ncommunity residential care,\ngeriatric evaluation,\npalliative care,\nadult day health care,\nhomemaker/home health aide care,\nrespite care,\nhome skilled care,\nhome hospice, and\nveteran-directed home and community-based services and medical foster homes (at some facilities).\nSome long-term care services are provided directly by VA staff, whereas others are purchased from providers outside of the VA. Long-term care expenditures are a small but not insignificant part of the VHA total medical care budget, at just over one-tenth of the VHA\u2019s budget. In FY2015, the VHA spent $7.4 billion (13% of its total appropriated funding for medical care, which was $55.8 billion) for veterans\u2019 long-term care. Institutional care accounted for almost $5.3 billion, or 71% of VA\u2019s total long-term care spending, while non-institutional care accounted for $2.1 billion, or 29%. The majority of VHA institutional care spending (64%) was for VA Community Living Centers (CLCs), nursing facilities owned and operated by the VA.\nThis report provides an overview of VA long-term care services, including legislative highlights, eligibility, organizational structure, descriptions of services (both institutional and non-institutional care), and expenditures. The report also describes three key issues for Congress when considering the VA and its long-term care financing and delivery system:\nVeterans\u2019 access to long-term care services.\nSettings where services are provided and the appropriate balance between institutional and non-institutional care.\nVeteran\u2019s health coverage options and federal coordination.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": false,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44697",
          "sha1": "be9d83d2d039d12998547fa1614a9ba88062d7a2",
          "filename": "files/20170214_R44697_be9d83d2d039d12998547fa1614a9ba88062d7a2.html",
          "images": {
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/3.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_40a7e284b00d5007658ffc8180e22376cbd1df6c.png",
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/0.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_72fafd773bb9b255a8cf38981233f0e4b3a0af50.png",
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/2.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_6f8d80ffad67280b489705e29fe9acebbbbae11a.png",
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/1.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_259e878d0570ca41b84fc3b3708fa946ee763da2.png",
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/5.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_b0dcb936a0c60f1984dff0fd1e9a3b7071936001.png",
            "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R44697_files&id=/4.png": "files/20170214_R44697_images_7c11babf7c84b6cad8e3412c76f2c423a1a7bc1f.png"
          }
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44697",
          "sha1": "e56b13642e372929a5b26dd963e8b42be3c34467",
          "filename": "files/20170214_R44697_e56b13642e372929a5b26dd963e8b42be3c34467.pdf",
          "images": {}
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 4789,
          "name": "Long-Term Services & Supports"
        },
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 4849,
          "name": "Veterans & Military Health Care"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "source": "EveryCRSReport.com",
      "id": 457306,
      "date": "2016-11-28",
      "retrieved": "2016-12-09T19:10:25.292210",
      "title": "Long-Term Care Services for Veterans",
      "summary": "The Veterans Health Administration (VHA), an operating unit of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), is a direct service provider of health care, similar in many ways to a large private sector health care system. In addition to providing inpatient, outpatient, and a range of other medical care services, the VHA provides and purchases long-term care services. The VA is one of two federal payers of long-term care services (the other being Medicaid).\nSince the 1960s, the VA has been authorized to provide nursing home care to eligible veterans in various settings, including VA facilities, private nursing facilities contracted by the VA, and state veterans homes (P.L. 88-450). These nursing home benefits were further expanded in subsequent legislation (P.L. 91-101 and P.L. 93-82). In 1999, the Veterans Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act (P.L. 106-117) required the VA to provide such benefits to veterans needing nursing home care due to one of their service-connected conditions, as well as veterans who overall have a service-connected disability rating of 70% or more, who need the care for any condition, service-connected or not. In addition, the law required the VA to maintain staffing and level of services for institutional care not less than the FY1998 level; the law also required non-institutional long-term care services as part of the VA medical benefits package.\nAbout 9.1 million veterans (43% of all veterans) were estimated to be enrolled in the VHA in FY2016. Although the overall number of veterans in the United States has declined since FY2000, the number of veterans enrolled in the VHA has increased significantly in that same time period. In FY2000, just over 4.9 million veterans were enrolled in the VHA; by FY2016 that number was estimated to have increased 86%, to 9.1 million enrollees. This increase is due, in part, to the growing number of veterans with service-connected disabilities, as well as more liberal enrollment policies. Among veterans with a service-connected disability, the proportion who have a disability rated as 70% or more service-connected (and therefore eligible for VA paid nursing home care) has also increased.\nVA long-term care programs are administered at the VA facility level, with some variability in how programs are administered. Each VA facility offers certain mandatory programs and may offer several optional programs as well. Eligibility for VA long-term care programs depends on eligibility for VA health care, which is based primarily on \u201cveteran status\u201d resulting from military service. Once enrolled, veterans\u2019 eligibility for long-term care services depends on several factors, including veterans\u2019 need for the service (as determined by the VA), whether the service is institutional or non-institutional, and (for certain programs), veterans\u2019 service-connected status.\nInstitutional settings may include both inpatient acute care and nursing home care. However, the majority of VA long-term care provided in institutional settings occurs in nursing home facilities, such as VA Community Living Centers (CLCs), community nursing homes, and state veterans homes. Non-institutional care includes outpatient and ambulatory care settings, as well as care that occurs in the home or another community-based setting. Non-institutional services include\nhome-based primary care,\ncommunity residential care,\ngeriatric evaluation,\npalliative care,\nadult day health care,\nhomemaker/home health aide care,\nrespite care,\nhome skilled care,\nhome hospice, and\nveteran-directed home and community-based services and medical foster homes (at some facilities).\nSome long-term care services are provided directly by VA staff, whereas others are purchased from providers outside of the VA. Long-term care expenditures are a small but not insignificant part of the VHA total medical care budget, at just over one-tenth of the VHA\u2019s budget. In FY2015, the VHA spent $7.4 billion (13% of its total appropriated funding for medical care, which was $55.8 billion) for veterans\u2019 long-term care. Institutional care accounted for almost $5.3 billion, or 71% of VA\u2019s total long-term care spending, while non-institutional care accounted for $2.1 billion, or 29%. The majority of VHA institutional care spending (64%) was for VA Community Living Centers (CLCs), nursing facilities owned and operated by the VA.\nThis report provides an overview of VA long-term care services, including legislative highlights, eligibility, organizational structure, descriptions of services (both institutional and non-institutional care), and expenditures. The report also describes three key issues for Congress when considering the VA and its long-term care financing and delivery system:\nVeterans\u2019 access to long-term care services.\nSettings where services are provided and the appropriate balance between institutional and non-institutional care.\nVeteran\u2019s health coverage options and federal coordination.",
      "type": "CRS Report",
      "typeId": "REPORTS",
      "active": true,
      "formats": [
        {
          "format": "HTML",
          "encoding": "utf-8",
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R44697",
          "sha1": "1787cc7b69cec6884c8e478ffc15ae287e79280b",
          "filename": "files/20161128_R44697_1787cc7b69cec6884c8e478ffc15ae287e79280b.html",
          "images": null
        },
        {
          "format": "PDF",
          "encoding": null,
          "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R44697",
          "sha1": "93020fbcc5d81cf3fa049afbca077aa1624c60b5",
          "filename": "files/20161128_R44697_93020fbcc5d81cf3fa049afbca077aa1624c60b5.pdf",
          "images": null
        }
      ],
      "topics": [
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 4789,
          "name": "Long-Term Services & Supports"
        },
        {
          "source": "IBCList",
          "id": 4849,
          "name": "Veterans & Military Health Care"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Aging Policy",
    "Health Policy",
    "Veterans Policy"
  ]
}