§ 1710B — Extended Care Services

(a) The Secretary (subject to section 1710(a)(4) of this title and subsection (c) of this section) shall operate and maintain a program to provide extended care services to eligible veterans in accordance with this section. Such services shall include the following: (1) Geriatric evaluation. (2) Nursing home care (A) in facilities operated by the Secretary, and (B) in community-based facilities through contracts under section 1720 of this title. (3) Domiciliary services under section 1710(b) of this title. (4) Adult day health care under section 1720(f) of this title. (5) of this title. (6) Respite care under section 1720B of this title. (b) The Secretary shall ensure that the staffing and level of extended care services provided by the Secretary nationally in facilities of the Department during any fiscal year is not less than the staffing and level of such services provided nationally in facilities of the Department during fiscal year 1998. (1) Except as provided in paragraph (2), the Secretary may not furnish extended care services for a non-service-connected disability other than in the case of a veteran who has a compensable service-connected disability unless the veteran agrees to pay to the United States a copayment (determined in accordance with subsection (d)) for any period of such services in a year after the first 21 days of such services provided that veteran in that year. (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply— (A) to a veteran whose annual income (determined under section 1503 of this title) is less than the amount in effect under section 1521(b) of this title; (B) to a veteran being furnished hospice care under this section; (C) with respect to an episode of extended care services that a veteran is being furnished by the Department on November 30, 1999; or (D) to a veteran who was awarded the medal of honor under section 7271, 8291, or 9271 of title 10 or section 491 1 of title 14. (1) A veteran who is furnished extended care services under this chapter and who is required under subsection (c) to pay an amount to the United States in order to be furnished such services shall be liable to the United States for that amount. (2) In implementing subsection (c), the Secretary shall develop a methodology for establishing the amount of the copayment for which a veteran described in subsection (c) is liable. That methodology shall provide for— (A) establishing a maximum monthly copayment (based on all income and assets of the veteran and the spouse of such veteran); (B) protecting the spouse of a veteran from financial hardship by not counting all of the income and assets of the veteran and spouse (in the case of a spouse who resides in the community) as available for determining the copayment obligation; and (C) allowing the veteran to retain a monthly personal allowance. (1) There is established in the Treasury of the United States a revolving fund known as the Department of Veterans Affairs Extended Care Fund (hereinafter in this section referred to as the “fund”). Amounts in the fund shall be available, without fiscal year limitation and without further appropriation, exclusively for the purpose of providing extended care services under subsection (a). (2) All amounts received by the Department under this section shall be deposited in or credited to the fund.