General Information

Are residents allowed to bring their own furniture or other belongings?
Yes. We encourage residents to bring belongings or mementos that have special meaning. All personal items must be approved in advance before they are brought into the Home.

Is transportation provided to medical appointments?
If a resident requires specialized transportation and assistance, the Veterans Home does provide transportation to local medical appointments

Are tours available?
Yes. Tours must be scheduled in advance and visitors must abide by all COVID-19 testing and safety precautions. Please call our admissions office at (302) 424-8572 for more details.

Cost and Admission

How much does it cost?
The cost varies based on your payer source, insurance plans, etc. For current room rates, please contact our admissions office at (302) 424-8572 for more details.

How does a Veteran qualify for consideration to be admitted to the Delaware Veterans Home?

For an applicant to be admitted to the Delaware Veterans Home they must:

Who makes the final decision for entrance to the Delaware Veterans Home?

Our admissions team reviews the application to determine eligibility for admittance to the Delaware Veterans Home for medical skilled nursing care and ability to pay via Veterans Affairs, Private Pay, or Medicaid/Medicare.

How much does it cost to stay at the Delaware Veterans Home?

By law, the Delaware Veterans Home must be greater than Medicaid. The new Medicaid rate is $315/day beginning on May 1, 2023. On May 1, 2023, the Delaware Veterans Home will be $320/day. The Delaware Veterans Home maintains the lowest costs for Veterans in the state.

Must a Veteran forfeit their disability or retirement benefits?

Applicants are encouraged to contact their payment source provider to answer questions specific to the applicant’s situation.

Are all your prescriptions drugs covered while the Veteran is in the home? Who determines what prescriptions are needed while they reside at the home?

The Delaware Veterans Home does not bill Veterans who are 70% or more disabled determined by the Veterans Affairs.

Does Medicare cover any portion of the cost of care during the first 90 days?

Applicants are encouraged to contact Medicare concerning any questions pertaining to costs or coverage.

What does Tricare for Life and State Medical Insurance cover?

Applicants are encouraged to contact Tricare for Life, their state medical insurance, or their insurance holder and find out what is covered under your policy.

Does a spouse who is not a Veteran go into the home if the Veteran has a rating of 100%?

Veterans who are 100% VA disabled incur no fee. The spouse of the Veteran would be allowed to admittance to the home but will have to cover costs of care through Private Pay or Medicaid.

Can married Veterans with VA-disability ratings share a room at the Delaware Veterans Home?

If married, service-connected Veterans are admitted they may share a room.

Is a person having a Long Term Health Care policy, can that be used to pay for the stay?

Applicants are encouraged to contact their policy provider concerning their Long-Term Health Care policy.

Does the home have its own ambulance service to transport Veterans to any doctor’s appointments that cannot be provided at the home?

Yes, the Delaware Veterans Home transports Veterans to and from their health care appointments. In emergency situations, emergency authorities are called and are transported through means provided by emergency services.

What is included in the cost?
At a minimum, the cost will cover a semi-private room and shared bathroom with one other person, and 24-hour medical/nursing care. All rooms are furnished with a bed, nightstand, built in dresser/desk, side chair and overbed table. Other amenities such as linen, basic cable, and telephone service are also included.

Can my eligible family member be admitted to DVH during the COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes. We are presently accepting applications for admission.

What is the process for admission?
An application packet which includes a checklist of all items must accompany the application, (i.e. ID, DD214, Power of Attorney paperwork, etc.) must be completed.

What are the admission criteria?
Potential resident candidates must meet one of the following criteria: honorably discharged from active service (peacetime, wartime), any National Guard Service or Reservist who is eligible for retirement pay at age 60 or has served on active duty at least 180 days. In addition, candidates must currently reside in Delaware and have resided in the state for at least 1 year prior to submission of the application. Lastly, candidates must have needs which meet federal and state requirements which necessitate a skilled nursing home level of care.

Can a spouse apply for a spouse’s entrance to the home?

Spouses of Veterans who have Power of Attorney may apply on behalf of that Veteran for admittance to the Delaware Veterans Home.

Visitation

Are visits still allowed at DVH?
At present, (due to high community rates of COVID), resident visitation options include indoor (which does not permit touching), along with Window and Virtual visits throughout the State of Delaware. Knowing the need for families to remain connected through indoor, outdoor window and virtual visitation remains in the forefront of our operational objective. Therefore, we highly encourage and welcome resident families and friends to exercise these options. Contact the DVH Activities Staff at (302) 424-6026 for details and scheduling.

Are the rules for compassionate visits the same as regular visitation?
No. In situations where a resident requires special services, families are authorized compassionate visitation which are inside the building and are conducted face-to-face. Examples of compassionate care situations include, but are not limited to:

• A resident, who was living with their family before recently being admitted to a nursing home, is struggling with the change in environment and lack of physical family support.

• End of life or a resident who is grieving after a friend or family member recently passed away.

When the situation warrants such a requirement, family members must agree to abide by established Infection Control Practices and other DVH safety protocols during the visit. Contact the DVH nurse supervisor at (302) 424-8500 for details and scheduling.

Is hospice care provided at the Delaware Veterans Home?

Hospice care is allowed at the Delaware Veterans Home.

What are the visiting hours?
Prior to the COVID outbreak, DVH had no visitor hour restrictions. However, due to the pandemic and in the interest of preserving the health and safety of both residents and staff, visiting hours have been limited. Please contact our Activities staff at (302) 424-6026 for details and scheduling.

Can I take my loved one home for short visits?
Despite the pandemic, the answer is Yes. However, prior to making such an election, we ask that families meet in advance with our nursing and medical staff to discuss resident home visitation departure and return protocols. For example, all returning residents will be placed in quarantine for COVID testing and observation for 14 days. If space and staffing are unavailable at the time of return, the family may need to keep the resident until such time as the facility can accept the resident back safely. While on quarantine, the resident will likely reside in a room in a separate area of the facility and all but virtual visitation is prohibited. Upon successful completion of the quarantine and being cleared by medical, the resident will then be returned to their respective unit.

What is being done to protect long-term care (LTC) residents from COVID-19?
In addition to the voluntary compliance of residents to practice COVID safety procedures such as face coverings and social distancing, DVH Administrators have instructed all staff to adhere to staff screening, social distancing, and PPE protocols along with the encouragement of all staff to receive the COVID vaccine previously made available.

Are LTC residents and staff required to be tested for COVID-19?
Yes. On May 28, 2020, the Delaware Department of Health (DPH) mandated that every skilled and intermediate LTC facility begin testing all residents and staff for COVID-19. We began testing staff in June 2020, and residents the following month. Each facility must collect specimens and arrange for laboratory testing. The results (positive, negative and indeterminate) are reported to State and Federal public health entities.

What is the frequency at which DVH residents and staff are tested?
At this time, our residents are being tested twice weekly and our staff are being tested daily. For more information, see our COVID-19 Testing Policy below: