CalVet is in the process of updating the rules for admission eligibility at our eight California Veterans Homes.

The current regulation, Section 501.2 on eligibility determination, was written when California operated only one veterans home. Today, CalVet provides housing and care for about 2,200 veterans, spouses, domestic partners, widows and widowers at eight homes in Yountville, Barstow, Chula Vista, Lancaster, Ventura, West Los Angeles, Fresno and Redding. There is high demand for admission and limited space available.

The proposed changes will update the department’s regulations to align with revisions made to the Military and Veterans Code (MVC) in 2017 by the California State Legislature and Governor. The regulation defines the eligibility requirements for admission to the Veterans Homes and explains certain aspects of the process.

Some of the key changes will:

• Authorize CalVet to do a criminal background check on applicants whose backgrounds suggest areas of concern that need to be reviewed in more detail because the person would be moving into a communal setting. The areas include elder abuse, assault or theft, currently serving on probation or parole, or being required to register as a sex offender. The regulation provides for an exception on a case-by-case basis.
• Authorizes CalVet to do a financial background check in order to establish a thorough understanding of the applicant’s  income. By law, income is the basis of residents’ monthly fees.
• Requires residents to maintain medical insurance throughout their residency. This change updates the regulation to align with revisions made to the MVC in 2017.

You can find all of the proposed changes to the Eligibility Determination regulations, including reasons for the changes, on CalVet’s website.

A public hearing on this proposed regulatory action will begin at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 12, 2018, at CalVet Headquarters, Medal of Honor Hall, 1227 O Street, Sacramento.

Members of the public may give testimony regarding this action in person at CalVet Headquarters or at any of our eight Veterans Homes, between 8 a.m. and noon, Jan. 12. Videoconferencing will be set up at each Veterans Home for this purpose.

California Veterans Homes provide residential and long-term care services in a home-like environment, where veterans are treated with dignity and respect. Residents enjoy numerous activities, including social events and outings, dances, patriotic programs, volunteer activities, arts and crafts, and computer access. There are four levels of care: domiciliary, residential facility care for the elderly, intermediate facility care, and skilled nursing facility care (including skilled nursing memory care).

These homes serve aged or disabled veterans and their spouses and domestic partners and widows of Medal of Honor recipients. They are certified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA) and U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and are licensed by the California Department of Public Health and the California Department of Social Services.