2,000 Veterans Wait In Line to Get Nursing Home Care In Missouri
From WGEM.com in Hannibal, Missouri, coverage on “2,000 Veterans Waiting in Line to Get Into Missouri Nursing Homes,”
“Some wait more than a year to get full care covered through veteran’s benefits, and it’s even harder for veterans without a state home close to where they live because they have even fewer options.
‘I had to have a place to go, so they got me in,’ Army veteran Robert Johnson said. Johnson is at Beth Haven Nursing Home in Hannibal for the time being. He had to choose a private care facility because there are relatively no veteran’s homes in the area. ‘Oh yeah, it’s pretty expensive to stay here,’ Johnson said. ‘I think they ought to have something to help veterans out. A lot of people have a pretty hard time anymore.’
Veterans who pay for private care do get supplemental money through benefits, and those using Medicaid also get personal allowance, but sometimes it’s not enough. Beth Haven CEO Paul Ewert says there are some cases where families have to either pay out of pocket or travel hours away for full care.”