# Plain Language Summary: Reimburse Veterans for Domiciliary Care Act

This bill is about making sure the federal government pays state-run nursing homes the full cost of caring for veterans who live there. Right now, there's a legal cap on how much the Veterans Affairs (VA) can reimburse these state facilities for providing domiciliary care—which is basically long-term residential care for veterans who need help with daily living but don't require hospital-level treatment. The bill requires the VA to create official rules that would allow them to waive this payment limit, meaning they could pay state homes whatever it actually costs to care for these veterans instead of being stuck with an outdated maximum amount.

The practical effect is that state-run veterans homes would be able to get fully reimbursed by the federal government for the care they provide, rather than absorbing costs that exceed the current cap. This matters because when facilities can't get paid enough, they often have to cut corners on services or staffing, which directly affects the quality of care veterans receive. By allowing the VA to pay the full cost, state homes would have more resources to hire better staff, purchase necessary equipment, and maintain better facilities.

The bill sets a tight timeline for this to happen. The VA has 90 days to propose the new rules and 180 days to finalize them. Importantly, the bill makes these payments retroactive to January 5, 2021, meaning state homes could potentially get reimbursed for costs they've already paid out of pocket over the past couple of years. This is essentially Congress telling the VA to stop dragging its feet and actually implement a requirement that was already supposed to be in place since 2020.

Reimburse Veterans for Domiciliary Care Act

Golden, Jared F.

Reimburse Veterans for Domiciliary Care Act This bill requires the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to prescribe a rule related to the waiver of certain requirements for the payment of per diem for domiciliary care in a state home. (A state home is a home established by a state for veterans who are disabled by age, disease, or otherwise and are incapable of earning a living because of such disability. The term also includes a home that furnishes nursing home care for veterans.) Under the bill, the VA must prescribe a rule that authorizes the waiver of certain requirements for a veteran to be eligible for per diem payments for domiciliary care at a state home if the veteran has met at least four of the current requirements or the waiver would be in the best interest of the veteran. In prescribing the rule, the VA must ensure its authority to provide payments to state homes is retroactive to January 5, 2021.