Notice of Proposed Rule Adoption
N.J.A.C. 5A:5, New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes

The New Jersey Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has proposed amendments to N.J.A.C. 5A:5, New Jersey Veterans' Facilities.

The proposed rules define the authority to establish requirements for eligibility for admission, to delineate the types of services that are provided by the Veteran Memorial Homes, address changes in insurance practices, adjust computation of the care maintenance fee for New Jersey veteran facilities, and correct oversights in the 2008 revision.

The proposed amendments will reduce publicly supported funding for the veteran home residents who can afford to pay for their care or afford to pay for a portion of their care. The amendments proposed are the fifth to this chapter, originally effective September 21, 1992.

These facilities are owned by the State of New Jersey and under the jurisdiction of the Adjutant General for the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs through its Division of Veterans Healthcare Services and its facility Advisory Councils appointed by the Governor.

The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs continues to provide medical and long-term nursing care to meet the health needs of the New Jersey veterans and eligible others currently at the three State-operated veterans long-term care facilities known as Menlo Park, Paramus, and Vineland Veterans Memorial Homes, and others as they may occur.

The proposed amendments streamline the application process by reducing the number of categories for prioritizing admission applications. They clearly establish the parameters for what is considered net income and assets; while providing guidance on reporting of those assets as they apply to the computation of the resident daily care rate, and the penalties if those assets are not reported.

They provide for increases for allowable deductions for residents to make them more compatible with increases due to inflation. However, they more clearly define who is fiscally responsible for the cost of care for residents and clearly delineates what assets are considered in computing the care and maintenance fees for a resident.

Overall the proposed amendments allow the veteran and the veteran’s family to retain additional assets to promote a viable quality of life for them while not significantly affecting the operating expenses of the Veteran Memorial Homes. In the specific case of increasing the allowable assets for married couples, the rate proposed herein now matches the Federal threshold for Medicaid.

Download a copy of this public notice [PDF 17KB]

Obtain a Copy of the Rule Proposal

The proposed rule was published in the June 17, 2013 edition of the New Jersey Register and can also be found at:
http://www.nj.gov/military/admincode/5a-5-veterans-memorial-homes/proposal/