The U.S. House on Monday passed with overwhelming bipartisan support Rep. Elissa Slotkin’s Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act, clearing the way for the legislation to be signed into law.
The bill will help senior veterans live more independently and cut costs for the Department of Veterans Affairs and was included in the Sen. Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, a larger veterans package. It was first passed by the House in November. An amended version of the bill was passed by the Senate in December, setting up today’s vote on final passage in the House.
The legislation creates a pilot program at the VA that would allow senior veterans to receive assisted living care paid for by the department, giving them more options for independent living and reducing VA spending on nursing home care and has been endorsed by a wide range of veterans service organizations and other stakeholders. This bill is co-led by Democrats David Trone (MD-06) and Annie Kuster (NH-02), and Republican Bryan Steil (WI-01).
“When we send our men and women in uniform into harm’s way, we make a solemn promise to take care of them when they return home – including in their later years. This legislation delivers on that promise and is now set to be signed into law,” said Slotkin. “This bill is a bipartisan approach to ensuring that our veterans have access to affordable, high quality care later in life. The pilot program it creates will lay the groundwork for senior veterans to live their lives independently and without undue financial stress. The legislation now heads to the President’s desk for his signature, and I’m looking forward to seeing it take effect.”
A September 2021 report to Congress by the VA concluded that the number of veterans eligible for nursing home care is expected to rise by approximately 535% over the next 20 years. However, many of these veterans do not require the comprehensive care provided by nursing homes, and would be better served by assisted living, which would allow them to live more independently. Currently, the VA is barred from covering room and board at assisted living facilities.
VA coverage of assisted living care would significantly cut costs for the department, as nursing home fees average nearly $121,000 per year, while assisted living facilities cost only a little more than $51,000 per year.
Slotkin served alongside the U.S. military as a CIA officer on three tours in Iraq. A member of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee in the 117th Congress, she’s been a longtime advocate for Michigan’s veterans.
She introduced the bipartisan Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Recognition Act, which was signed into law as part of the Honoring Our PACT Act in the summer of 2022. The package will provide health insurance to an additional 3.5 million veterans suffering from the long-term effects of exposure to toxic burn pits.
Slotkin also introduced the bipartisan Solid Start Act, which requires the VA to reach out to vets three times in the first year of their transition to make sure they know what resources and services are available to them. The bill was signed into law in 2022.
Slotkin’s PAWS Act was also signed into law in 2021. The bipartisan bill created a pilot program at the Department of Veterans Affairs to help connect veterans to service dogs.
