with a safe and secure community environment at the Veterans Home. to examine financial and personal information of applicants and members. (d) To consider an applicant for admission, the Veterans Home must have: (1) The resources to provide for the applicant’s required level of care and specific needs within its existing services and resources as determined by a CalVet-led preadmission evaluation. (2) A bed available that is not needed by a current member of the Veterans Home at the required level of care. The Veterans Home must provide for the health and safety of members as required by the state licensing agencies that regulate facilities by levels of care, the USDVA and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (e) To be eligible for admission, applicants (1) Demonstrate proof of current bona fide California residency by presenting for verification one or more of the following: a current valid California Driver License; a current valid California Identification Card; a public utility statement with the name of the applicant and a California address dated within 90 days prior to the date of application; the applicant’s prior year California State Tax Return showing a California physical address; or other documentation that demonstrates California residency, as determined by the administrator. In accordance with MVC 1012, applicants must be bona fide state residents to be eligible for admission to a Veterans Home. This Subsection explains how CalVet determines residency. This revision lists the documents that an applicant may submit to a Veterans Home to establish state residency for purposes of establishing eligibility. (2) Qualify as aged or disabled. This revision is made in accordance with the revisions to MVC Section 1012 in the 2017 Trailer Bill. Previously, the MVC used the term “aged and disabled” while the revised Code states “aged or disabled.” The intent of the change and the use of or is to make clear that the applicant and member may be both aged and disabled, only disabled, or only aged.
One of the differences between California’s Veterans Home system and other states is the range of levels of care. Some states have Veterans Homes that offer only skilled nursing facilities and do not offer assisted living or domiciliary care. Due to the agency’s statutory obligations to serve aged or disabled veterans, CalVet does not consider it a reasonable alternative to change the available levels of care. Studies and Reports that CalVet Relied On A New Approach to California’s Veterans Homes, Report #237 (March 2017) by the Little Hoover Commission. . The California State Auditor Report 2012-1109 (May 2013) by Elaine M. Howie, CPA, included the recommendation that CalVet’s admission policies should be adopted as regulations. . The Legislative Analyst’s (January 2017) report by Mac Taylor titled “Understanding the Veterans Service Landscape in California” describes the demographics of California’s veterans and provides a high-level overview of veterans services provided in the Veterans Homes and services provided in the community. The report reviews the federal and state services available to veterans for long-term care, transitional housing, mental and behavioral health, and employment assistance and provides findings. The report highlights issues for legislative consideration and offer options to improve service delivery within the Veterans Homes. . CalVet staff obtained data from the National Association of State Veterans Homes on how state veteran’s homes across the nation address eligibility determination and admission criteria. Eligibility determination requirements, admission criteria, and regulations of California Veterans Homes were compared with those of other states.