Malcom Randall VA Medical Center’s Community Living Center receives 5-star rating

The star rating is broken down into five areas: overall star rating, unannounced health inspection/survey, staffing, quality, and if individual CLCs have improved over the last year.

The unannounced survey is designed to follow the process and procedures of those used by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) for community nursing homes. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has added additional measures of person-centered care, and process reviews, making VA surveys more extensive than those done by CMS to inform quality improvement efforts.

“We are very pleased with the results of the recent survey,” said Ilona Schmalfuss, Chief of Staff, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System (NF/SGVHS). “This star rating is proof of the top-notch quality care provided by our skilled CLC staff.”

VA nursing homes serve residents with numerous and challenging medical conditions than private sector facilities. Specifically, VA nursing homes serve a much higher proportion of residents with conditions such as prostate related bladder obstruction, spinal cord or combat injury, mental illness, homelessness, PTSD, terminal illness, and other conditions rarely seen in private nursing homes. 

Additionally, private sector nursing homes admit patients selectively, whereas the VA will not refuse service to any eligible Veteran, no matter how challenging the Veteran’s conditions are to treat.

“It is no surprise that our skilled nursing facility received a 5-star rating,” said Health System Director, David Isaacks. “The level of compassionate care provided by our staff is among the best in the country.”

For more information about nursing home care for Veterans and to view star ratings, click here.

All Veterans receiving nursing home care (NHC) through VA, whether provided in a VA-operated Community Living Center (CLC) or purchased by contract in a community nursing home (CNH), must have a clinical need for that level of care. VA strives to use NHC when a Veteran’s health care needs cannot be safely met in the home.  Certain Veterans have mandatory eligibility for nursing home (NH) care. These Veterans have service-connected disabilities rated at 70% or greater or who need nursing home care for service-connected conditions. Veterans with mandatory nursing home eligibility can generally choose between a VA CLC or a private nursing home under contract with VA, unless there is a clinical or family reason when one setting is preferred over the other.