The number of veterans most in need of long-term care,
those age 85 and over, is set to increase from 870,000
to 1.3 million over the next decade. That poses a
significant management challenge to the Department of
Veterans Affairs, which is responsible for delivering
nursing home care and non-institutional services to them,
the General Accounting Office has said.
Over the past six years VA has shifted work from its
nursing homes to non-institutional settings, has placed
a greater emphasis on short-stay, post-acute care and
has transitioned veterans to other payers such as
Medicare, developments that GAO says raise important
questions about how VA will manage the rising elderly
veteran population.