An honorably discharged Pennsylvanian who served in the U.S. Armed Forces and/or a spouse of an eligible veteran. Applicants from another state are only eligible if Pennsylvania was listed as their home of record upon entry into the Armed Forces or the Pennsylvania Military Forces. An applicant who is not a bono fide resident of Pennsylvania at the time of admission may not be admitted if a bono fide resident of Pennsylvania is awaiting admission.
A: Each Veterans Home has an Admissions Coordinator that is your first point of contact. Please call the Admissions Office for the home you are interested in and the Admissions Coordinator will be happy to answer your questions:
- Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home (Philadelphia),
215-856-2718
- Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center (Scranton),
570-961-4348
- Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home (Hollidaysburg),
814-696-5352
- PA Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home (Erie),
814-878-4939
- Southeastern Veterans’ Center (Spring City),
610-948-2406
- Southwestern Veterans’ Center (Pittsburgh),
412-665-6782
A: Each Veterans Home has an Admissions Committee that will review the application to determine level of care. Once the level of care is determined, the Veterans Home Revenue Office will establish the resident’s Monthly Maintenance Fee. The Monthly Maintenance Fee is theportion of the cost-of-care that is the resident’s monthly payment obligation. This is based upon what the resident can afford to pay out of pocket. When these steps are completed – pending bed availability – the Veterans Home will either admit the veteran/spouse or add the veteran/spouse to the Wait List.
A: Wait Lists vary at each Veterans Home and they vary for each level of care. Please call the specific Veteran Home Admissions Office directly to get an updated status of your application:
- Delaware Valley Veterans’ Home (Philadelphia),
215-856-2718
- Gino J. Merli Veterans’ Center (Scranton),
570-961-4348
- Hollidaysburg Veterans’ Home (Hollidaysburg),
814-696-5352
- PA Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Home (Erie),
814-878-4939
- Southeastern Veterans’ Center (Spring City),
610-948-2406
- Southwestern Veterans’ Center (Pittsburgh),
412-665-6782
A: Work closely with your physician to provide the Veterans Home with copies of all requested medical documentation. The Veterans Home Admissions Coordinator will let you know what you are required to submit. They will also let you know what financial documentation is needed and when updates are required. Providing all the information as early in the process as possible will expedite the process.
A: Yes. DMVA will do everything it can to get you admitted to your first choice of Veterans Home. Veterans Homes will share required documentation for admittance with the other Veterans Homes so there is no need to fill out an individual application for each Home.
A: No, you will keep your place on the Wait List for your first choice of Veterans Home. When you are at the top of the Wait List and a bed is available, DMVA will transfer you to your first choice of Veterans Home.
A: Veterans have priority of admittance for all levels of care. We do not exceed more than 12% non-veteran census in each Veterans Home.
A: If the veteran/spouse has under $126,420 in disposable assets, then the cost-of-care would be approximately 80% of the veteran/spouse gross income.
Deductions to determine cost of care for a single applicant includes health insurance premiums including Medicare, Med D, and supplemental.
Deductions to determine cost of care for a married applicant include health insurance premiums including Medicare, Med D and supplemental for the applicant only. Other deductions for the spouse include home owners/rental insurance, property taxes, and mortgage/rent expenses.
Our Veterans Home staff will apply for Medicaid for every applicant upon admission. If the applicant is approved for Medicaid and the Medicaid based fee favors the applicant, they will be placed on Medicaid.
If a veteran/spouse has over $126,420 in disposable assets, the veteran/spouse would be charged the full cost-of-care at that individual Veterans Home.
It is important to note that less than 2% of DMVA Veterans Home residents pay full cost-of-care. The Pennsylvania Veterans Home of your choice will work with the family to determine each Veterans Monthly Maintenance Fee closer to move in. The Admissions Office will provide a checklist approximately a month prior to actual Bed Placement to help the family with obtaining the required financial documents.
A: If the resident owes money to a Veterans Home, DMVA will file a claim against their estate. DMVA then bills the estate of a deceased resident for the difference between the cost-of-care and what the resident paid while residing at the Veterans Home. At no time will surviving family members receive a bill for any balance owed to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
If a resident has a 70% or greater Service Connected Disability with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs (VA) and requires skilled nursing care, the answer is the veteran pays nothing. The VA will compensate the Veterans Home for the veterans stay without any Monthly Maintenance Fee required by the resident.