United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Geriatrics and Extended Care

Veterans Administration Community Living Centers

 

Welcome to the VA Community Living Centers

VA Community Living Centers, formerly known as nursing homes, provide short-stay and long-stay nursing home care to Veterans who are medically and mentally stable. The mission of VA Community Living Centers (CLC) is to restore the Veteran to maximum function and independence, prevent declines in health, and provide comfort at the end of life.




 

 

 

Veteran gardening, looking at orange flowers

Services

VA CLCs may provide the following services: skilled nursing care, rehabilitation, restorative care, psychiatric care, dementia care, hospice and palliative care, continuing care, respite care, and geriatric evaluation and management. The majority of the 133 VA CLCs are located on or near the campus of VA medical centers. Not all VA CLCs provide all services, so please contact your local VA medical center for more information.
 
Veteran petting dog with staff member watching

Veteran-Centered Care

VA CLCs are committed to providing Veteran-Centered Care. Each Veteran’s plan for care is designed around the Veteran’s needs, preferences, and life-long habits. VA CLCs serve Veterans from all generations and pay special attention to ensure age, culture, and generation specific needs and interests are incorporated into the plan of care. Care is provided so that the Veteran is respected, treated with dignity, and invited to be a participant in his or her own care. The foundation of the VA CLC model of Veteran-Centered Care is the relationship and trust between the Veteran and his or her VA caregivers.
 

Veteran reading a book to his grandson

 A Home Environment

VA CLCs strive to create an environment that resembles “home” as much as possible and are at the forefront of a trend to “de-institutionalize” nursing home care in America. VA CLCs have undergone significant changes to create homes that nurture the Veteran’s mind, body, and spirit while providing state of the art professional health care and services.
 

New stainless steel kitchenSome of these changes include:

  • Expanding food and nutrition options
  • Respecting Veteran sleep and wake cycles
  • Inviting Veterans to decorate & personalize their rooms
  • Providing activities for Veterans of all ages
  • Consistently assigning caregivers to the same Veterans
  • Encouraging dogs, and other animals to visit the CLC
  • Using Wii games to assist with rehabilitation
  • Planning celebrations for special occasions
  • Creating a family friendly spaces for visiting
  • Using cutting-edge design for new construction
  • Moving towards private rooms
 
 Two veterans in wheelchairs fishing off dock 

 Admission Criteria

To be admitted into a VA CLC, a Veteran must be enrolled in the VA health care system and eligible for nursing home care. The Veteran must be medically and psychologically stable and the VA CLC must be able to provide the needed services. Special consideration may be made for Veterans for whom community placement may be difficult.