Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed Congressman Clay Higgins’ (R-LA) bill H.R. 5693, the Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act, which expands access to Medical Foster Homes (MFH) and prioritizes Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) programs that create economic opportunities for veterans.
The VA, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), American Legion, Paralyzed Veterans of America, Military Officers Association of America (MOAA), and Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) have all testified in support of expanding access to MFH facilities. The American Legion also authored a letter of support for H.R. 5693.
The Long-Term Care Veterans Choice Act is Congressman Higgins’ 12th piece of legislation passed through the U.S. House of Representatives since his congressional service began.
Congressman Higgins issued the following statement:
“Under current law, veterans who qualify for full-time VA facility nursing home care but prefer more personalized care at a smaller foster home VA certified facility do not have the option to choose… even though traditional VA nursing home long-term care costs taxpayers an average of $5,000 – $7,000 per month, while medical foster home care costs an average of $3,000 – $5,000 per month. Thus, my legislation provides greater choice to the Veteran at a reduced cost to the VA. This bill is a win for America and for American veterans.”
Congressman Phil Roe, M.D. (R-TN), Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, released the following statement:
“Medical foster homes provide a long-term care option for veterans who can no longer live independently: however, currently VA is not authorized to pay for this more personalized setting. I thank Rep. Higgins for his leadership in helping VA meet its mission to provide long-term care for eligible veterans. With this legislation veterans would no longer be required to pay for the care received from a medical foster home with their own private funds.”
