Wow, went through some of this VA stuff for my dad.
First of all, did you know about the "Aid and Attendance" benefit? We were pretty enthusiastic about this. Dad served in WWII and is eligible, even though he is not an army pensioner.
But alas, the benefit really isn't that much (can't remember exactly, but a few thousand a month), not enough to pay his LTC. It kind of seemed useless, to be honest, but I think it could work for some folks in assisted living. Dad had a 10% war disability too, and this payment would be deducted for the AA payment.
Second, all the VA LTC benefits have ability to pay in them. They also have some priority scheme. Dad would not be at the front with his (non government) pension and only 10% disability.
The application is thick. I suggest anyone considering it dig deep. You can find information out there. Also, I spoke with some finance folks at dad's home and they had indications of what it takes to get VA benefits. Assets (aside from home) need to be in the $100k or less range. Over that, and you probably will be denied. However, sometimes it takes months (1/2 year or more) go through the app, so people apply ahead and watch their assets drain during the application wait. NOTE: do not take my 100k number as firm gospel. The "real" number floats and is based on location, monthly income, etc., etc. It is just an estimate based on what I heard from finance people who were willing to talk. Very few people want to give any indication of what this number is.
What I basically found was that there are all sorts of tricks people do to hide assets, hide pensions, etc., etc. I was unwilling to do any of that and we continued our self-pay.
The process is so complex, there is a whole shady industry built around it. Supposedly, nobody can charge you for advice, but they "have ways."
As for straight VA nursing care, it was similar. But as I said, Dad was going to be at a lower priority since he was not a full military pensioner. And there were need requirements similar to the AA plan, so again, we didn't bother.
Let me summarize what I felt about this... The VA nursing or aid benefits are just a bit above Medicaid from a financial eligibility standpoint. I didn't visit a VA home. I would hope, though, that the standard of care was better. Despite what you may hear out there, Dad and us kids loved the VA. They treated him well -- even saved his life twice. Our only problem was it would take 3 months or more for many appointment lead times. I'd hope their care facilities were as good... but I don't know.
