Housing - Armed Forces Retirement Home

Housing - Armed Forces Retirement Home

The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) provides eligible veterans with a retirement living option that is not available to most Americans. AFRH has two locations. The U.S. Naval Home is in Gulfport, Mississippi, and the U.S. Soldiers’ and Airmen’s Home is in Washington, D.C. Both are open to veterans of all military branches, and both provide a wide range of facilities and services to their residents.The AFRH facilities are continuing care retirement communities, which means that although residents must be able to live independently and care for themselves when they move in, later care is provided at the level needed by the residents. Both locations provide accredited independent living, assisted living, and long-term care.

Services and Facilities

Both facilities provide three meals in shared dining areas and comfortable rooms for their residents, all in community-like settings. Mailrooms, libraries, laundry rooms, chapels, barbershops, and pharmacies are available on both campuses, as are clinical medical, dental, and many rehabilitative therapy services. For instance, optometrists, podiatrists, and endocrinologists provide services on site. There is no extra charge for on-campus medical or dental services. Additionally, both facilities provide shuttle buses to local area attractions and to nearby military hospitals and veterans’ medical centers.

The Gulfport location is within walking distance of Gulf Coast beaches, and a bowling alley, card room, pool, and fitness center are located on campus. The Washington location contains a golf course and driving range, walking trails, fishing ponds, fitness and computer centers, a bowling alley, recreation rooms and a theater, and an auto shop.

Eligibility

Residents must meet five criteria to be eligible to live at one of the AFRH facilities. First, at least 50 percent of their active duty service must have been as an enlisted, a warrant officer, or a limited duty officer. Second, they cannot have been convicted, at any time, of a felony. Third, they cannot have drug, alcohol, or psychiatric problems. Fourth, they must be able to live independently at the time they are admitted to the AFRH. Finally, veterans must meet one of the following four categories.

• At least 20 years of active duty service and at least 60 years of age;
• Unable to support themselves because of a disability caused by their service in the military;
• Unable to support themselves because of a disability but either served in a war theater or received hostile fire pay; or
• Female veteran who served in the Armed Forces before 1948.

Eligibility is established by an application completed by the veteran, along with its supporting documents, and by a certification of a health care provider.

Policies

Both AFRH facilities encourage veterans to visit their facilities before applying, and both have guest rooms available for this purpose. Once admitted, residents may park their vehicles in free parking facilities, may smoke in designated areas, and may have family visitors.

Resident Fees and Funding

The fee a resident must pay depends upon his or her current level of care. Each fee is calculated as a percentage of a resident’s current income but is capped at a monthly amount. Current income is defined as a resident’s federal tax adjusted gross income, plus any tax-exempt income such as Veterans benefits, Social Security benefits, disability retirement pay, and pensions.

The least restrictive type of level of care, independent living, costs a resident 35 percent of his or her current income. However, a resident cannot be required to pay more than $ 1,035 per month. The charge for next level of care, assisted living, is 40 percent of income, but this fee may not exceed $ 1,553 per month. The most intensive level of care is long-term care. A resident pays 65 percent of his or her current income for this level of care, but the fee may not exceed $ 2,588 monthly.

The remainder of the funding for the AFRH facilities is derived from minimal enlisted and warrant officer contributions, military disciplinary actions forfeitures and fines, and interest from the AFRH trust fund, which was established nearly 150 years ago.

Copyright 2008 LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.