VA’s Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care is expanding its Home-Based Primary Care, Medical Foster Home and Veteran-Directed Care programs to make them available at all VA medical centers by the end of fiscal year 2026.

VA will add 58 medical foster homes and 70 Veteran-directed care programs to medical centers across the nation and add 75 home-based primary care teams to areas with the highest unmet need.

VA to add 58 medical foster homes

“These evidence-based programs allow Veterans to age-in-place, avoid or delay nursing home placement and choose the care environment that aligns most with their care needs, preferences and goals,” said Executive Director of VA Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care Dr. Scotte Hartronft. Veterans using these programs have experienced fewer hospitalizations and emergency department visits, reduced hospital and nursing home days and fewer nursing home readmissions and inpatient complications.”

Anticipate four million Veterans eligible for nursing homes by 2039

According to VA’s Policy Analysis and Forecasting Office, the number of Veterans of all ages who are eligible for nursing home care is estimated to expand from approximately two million Veterans in 2019 to more than four million by 2039. As this population grows, VA remains steadfast in providing the highest levels of care to Veterans in the least-restrictive settings.

These programs provide more of a smaller care setting than traditional institutionalized long-term care. This smaller setting of care supports less risk of transmission of COVID and other infectious diseases.

Many Veterans have chosen these programs instead of institutionalized care during the pandemic for more flexibility in care preferences and less risk of COVID transmission.

Learn more about VA geriatrics.

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Home Based Primary Care

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8 Comments

  1. Trinity Regard February 11, 2022 at 04:47

    As a 100% disabled care veteran, I am thrilled with the community care program.
    Seeing doctors I want to see, not driving over a hundred miles to a VA hospital for appointments is just wonderful.
    I get specialists appointments asap.
    Great program.

  2. Becky February 9, 2022 at 13:17

    I think it’s great they are expanding these services…. but I can’t help but wonder if they would have as much need if they didn’t just remove the majority of caregivers???!!! Maybe fix the caregiver program gap before you ruin another program by claiming to improve or expand another program! If the caregiver program is an example of how the va plans to improve care to its veterans…. DONT

  3. John M Grenier February 9, 2022 at 05:42

    I volunteer at VA …the veterans needing help is a lot. They need to be pushed by wheelchairs to their appointments, and sometimes sat with, sometimes they’re are only two volunteers for the whole hospital!

  4. Martin McCoskey Jr. February 9, 2022 at 00:06

    The VA has stepped up the care provided to veterans. I am very pleased with the care I receive from my VA health care provider. Thank you.

  5. Cary tesmer February 8, 2022 at 20:50

    I am s vet and in the area I live there are no homes for the vets that I know of this sounds like a great idea and I hope it works out

  6. John Ray February 8, 2022 at 17:56

    I worked at VA twice. The first time was geriatric psych facility. The patient population were patients that could act out violently I worked as LPN. The nurse assistants made significantly more money than than me. They paid by check I went to deposit my check and the bank was held up. The individuals took my wallet and some of my money. The prosecution ask me to appear as a witness. There were 7 or 8 of us in the court that day. And the hold up experts pleaded no contest. Okay so now I asked for the time my manger told me that if I went to court I had to do it on my leave time. The VA was not going to give the time to go to court. I quit the next day. This is to illustrate how the VA manages situations where if can be inconvenient. The VA is a government organization run for the people whose job depends on not doing their job occasionally
    Currently I am patient and I must allow there has been a dramatic improvement over what I went through as an employee. I actually can say that most of the physicians ancillary staff and nurses do very good job. However I am not optimistic about how long these good times will last

  7. Richard Britt February 8, 2022 at 10:57

    The VA needs to offer care such as the two retirement homes in Washington DC and in Mississippi for retired military and 100% disabled veterans who can stay there. It’s more like apartment living your three meals a day walking down the going down the elevator to eat bowling a pub activities to do that’s where the VA needs to lean not nursing home care for veterans they serve their country and they need to at least at a minimum have the opportunities of the retirement homes of veterans in DC and in Mississippi for retired military and 100% permanent total service connected disabled veterans! Thank you very much for your time and understanding….

  8. Janet Ann Brown February 8, 2022 at 08:29

    Why do you have to wait six months for an appointment with a specialist to see you at the v.a

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