Nevada State Veterans Homes

01The two homes

Source: NDVS facility pages³⁴

The Southern Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder City is state-owned and operated. It’s overseen by three regulators: the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, VA and the State of Nevada³. The Northern Nevada State Veterans Home in Sparks is a 102,000-square-foot building whose “Town Hall” has a restaurant, coffee bistro, therapy gym, barber shop and parade grounds. NDVS oversees it with an operating partner⁴.

02What care they provide

• Skilled nursing. Around-the-clock nursing, with therapy, rehab, mental health, palliative and hospice care available at Boulder City³.
• Short-term rehab. Sparks offers rehab after a hospital stay, including physical, occupational and speech therapy⁴.
• Memory care. Sparks has a secure memory care community, and Boulder City runs Alzheimer's and dementia programs⁴³.
• Not assisted living. Both are skilled nursing facilities¹.

03Who can live there

Both homes serve eligible veterans, their spouses and Gold Star parents³⁴. The admissions application spells out the rest, including discharge, Nevada residency, and the level of care the home can provide. Ask admissions for the current packet before you gather records. Under VA rules, a veteran rated 70% or more, or one who needs nursing care for a service-connected condition, may have the full daily rate paid by VA⁵.

04What it costs and how residents pay

NDVS says the cost of living at the Boulder City home is considerably lower than at a standard skilled nursing facility. Residents pay from a mix of sources: Medicare, Medicaid, VA compensation, pension, VA per diem and private funds³². We don’t list individual home rates, so ask admissions for the current rate for your situation.

• Aid and Attendance. Helps a private-pay resident cover the rate; see Aid and Attendance in a Nevada nursing home.
• Medicaid. Residents on Nevada Medicaid keep a $154 monthly personal needs allowance⁶.
• Medicare. Can cover a qualifying short skilled stay⁷.

05Daily life at the homes

Both homes follow a person-centered approach. At Boulder City, residents help shape decisions about their own care, and volunteers run crafts, classes, bingo, outings, ice cream socials and plays. The home logged more than 12,000 volunteer hours in 2017³. NDVS notes that about 75% of veteran residents there are men, the reverse of most nursing homes, and that new residents arrive among people who share the experience of service³. In Sparks, the Town Hall doubles as a gathering place for local veterans service organizations⁴.

06Supporting the homes through your taxes

Nevada has gift accounts for each veterans home. A veteran who qualifies for a property tax exemption can choose to pay the tax anyway and send the amount to the southern or northern home’s account. Assessors include that option on the yearly renewal form⁸⁹.

07A Nevada example

A 76-year-old Navy veteran in Fernley has a stroke and needs rehab, then long-term care. His daughter in Reno calls the Sparks admissions office at (775) 827-2955 while he’s still in the hospital. At the same time, an NDVS officer at the VAST Reno office files for Aid and Attendance to help with the long-term rate⁴¹⁰.

08Mistakes to avoid

• Waiting for discharge day. Beds can be limited, so start early.
• Leaving out the VA rating letter. A rating of 70% or more can change who pays⁵.
• Skipping Aid and Attendance. It can cover a large part of a private-pay rate.
• Discharge rights. See state veterans home discharge rights.

09How to apply

1. Pick a home. Boulder City for southern Nevada, Sparks for the north¹.
2. Contact admissions. Boulder City: 100 Veterans Memorial Drive, (702) 668-5806; download the application from the NDVS page and mail it. Sparks: 36 Battle Born Way, (775) 827-2955³⁴.
3. Gather records. DD-214, ID, insurance cards, medical records and any VA rating letter.
4. Get free help. NDVS service officers work at both homes¹⁰.