(Alexandria, Va.) – Maggie Elehwany, Argentum Senior Vice President, Public Affairs issued the following statement on today’s Senate Veterans Affairs Committee hearing to examine veterans’ access to Long Term Care:
“I want to thank Chairman Tester and Ranking Member Moran for holding this important hearing. Our veteran population is aging rapidly and so are their long-term care needs. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, roughly half of the 9 million veterans currently enrolled in veterans’ health care programs are 65 or older. Over the next decade, the number of veterans over 75 is expected to approach 3 million. The number of veterans aged 85 or older receiving care from VA health services is expected to grow approximately 535% over the next 20 years.
Federal data shows that someone turning age 65 today has a 70 percent chance of needing some type of long-term care in their lifetime. However, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs predicts that approximately 80 percent of veterans will develop the need for long-term services.
Carla Wilton, Chief Operating Officer of Immanuel Lutheran Communities, an Argentum member community, was invited to testify, and she and Whitney Bell, President of the National Association of State Veterans Homes, in both their submitted written testimony and opening remarks, shared their support for S. 495, the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act (introduced by Senators Tester, Moran, Murray and Rounds in February), and encouraged its passage this year. They join a growing list of veterans associations and other organizations supporting this important bill.
S. 495, the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act is a commonsense approach to expand veterans’ access to assisted living services at a time that the aging population is creating growing demand by older Americans and veterans for assisted living and other long-term care options. Many veterans eligible for nursing home care may not need skilled nursing or other institutional settings and may prefer a more home-like setting that promotes independence such as assisted living when appropriate.
Assisted living communities are home to two million seniors, of which 42% are veterans or their spouses. However, the current VA prohibition on paying for assisted living room and board fees means many low-income veterans who participate in federal assistance programs have had to pay for almost all assisted living costs out of pocket. The Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act is the first step in addressing this problem, and Argentum and its members urge the Senate to take up pass this bill in the 118th Congress.
Argentum and its members look forward to working with members of the Veterans Affairs Committee to pass the Expanding Veterans’ Options for Long Term Care Act, and to identify bipartisan legislative solutions to increase veterans’ access to assisted living.
About Argentum
Argentum is the leading national association exclusively dedicated to supporting companies operating professionally managed, resident-centered senior living communities and the older adults and families they serve. Since 1990, Argentum has advocated for choice, independence, dignity, and quality of life for all older adults.
Argentum members operate senior living communities that include independent living, assisted living, memory care, and Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs), which are home to 2 million vulnerable seniors, of which 42% are veterans or their spouses.
Argentum member companies operate senior living communities offering assisted living, independent living, continuing care, and memory care services. Along with its state partners, Argentum’s membership represents approximately 75 percent of the senior living industry—an industry with a national economic impact of nearly a quarter of a trillion dollars and responsible for providing over 1.6 million jobs. For more information, visit www.argentum.org.
Contact:
Michael Keegan
Manager, Media and Public Affairs
ARGENTUM | Expanding Senior Living
1650 King Street, 6th Floor
Alexandria, VA 22314
703-599-7412 | [email protected]
