Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks

Community Residential Care

What is Community Residential Care?

To see more pictures of a local CRC Sponsor Home, click here.

The Community Residential Care (CRC) program is for Veterans who do not need hospital or nursing home care, but cannot live alone because of medical or psychiatric conditions, and who have no family to provide care.

This type of care takes place in a number of settings including Assisted Living facilities, Personal Care Homes, Family Care Homes, Group Living Homes, and Psychiatric Community Residential Care Homes. These places – about 1,300 of them across the country – are inspected and approved by VA medical center staff, but are chosen by the Veteran.

Am I eligible for Community Residential Care?

Community Residential Care is for Veterans who have no support person who can provide monitoring, supervision or help with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing, getting dressed, preparing meals).

Veterans pay for their rent from VA compensation, VA pension, Social Security or other retirement or income sources.

What services can I get?

The CRC program provides room, board, limited personal care and supervision. It can include such services as psychiatric care, primary care, medication supervision, and self-care supervision, if needed.

The Veteran receives periodic visits from VA health care professionals, but most medical care is provided on an outpatient basis at VA facilities.

How do I decide if this is right for me?

You can use a Shared Decision Making Worksheet to help you figure out what long term care services or settings may best meet your needs now or in the future.

Your physician or other primary care provider can answer questions about your medical needs. Some important questions to talk about with your social worker include:

• How much assistance do I need for my activities of daily living (e.g., bathing and getting dressed)?
• How much independence and privacy do I want?
• What sort of social interactions are important to me?
• How much can I afford to pay for care each month?

If Community Residential Care seems right for you, the Community Residential Care program coordinator or their designee, in collaboration with the treatment team, can help you locate a facility and assist with making placement arrangements.

VA’s Expectations of CRC Sponsors:

A CRC Sponsor Home can be one licensed by the state or a smaller home, housing three or fewer residents and which is inspected and supervised by the CRC program and is therefore exempt from licensure by the state.

• Agree to initial and annual inspection by the health care system
• Comply with VA, state, and local standards for residential care
• Accept Veteran without discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, age, religion or national origin
• Accept the services of the VA staff, including case management and other needed VA services
• Notify the CRC Coordinator of any admissions to the hospital, changes in health or behavior, incidents, elopements, deaths, and discharges
• Accept the agreed upon rate as full compensation for care and discuss any future rate changes with the CRC Coordinator and other interested parties

To learn more about the Community Residential Care Program, Veteran eligibility, or Sponsor Homes please contact Janis Edwards, Community Residential Care Coordinator, at 479-387-1498.