VA Medical Foster Home Overview                                                                                       Medical Foster Home (MFH) is a type of Community Residential Care (CRC) home chosen by the Veteran who is unable to live independently, as a preferred means to receive family-style living with room, board, and personal care. The MFH is matched with the Veteran’s physical, social, and emotional needs, including supervision and protection.  MFH is appropriate for certain Veterans who meet a nursing home level of care, prefer a non-institutional setting for their long-term care, and do not need nursing home care if MFH is available.                                                           The MFH coordinator finds a caregiver in the community who is willing to take a Veteran into their home and provide 24-hour supervision as well as needed personal assistance.

VA provides comprehensive primary care through the interdisciplinary home care team, and the Veteran pays the caregiver.  The expectation is that this is a long-term commitment, where the Veteran may live for a few years, often for the remainder of his or her life.  The Veteran pays the caregiver approximately $1500 to $3000 per month depending upon their care needs and the situation.                                 The VA interdisciplinary home care team is a necessary and integral component of MFH, provided either through Home Based Primary Care (HBPC) or Spinal Cord Injury Home Care (SCI-HC).  Staff from these programs makes home visits to provide home assessment, caregiver education, and patient care.  As the Veteran’s care needs may change over time, the VA assures that the caregiver is amply trained to provide the required 24/7 care.

MFH follows CRC requirements for oversight, recruitment and inspection of these homes in which to place Veterans. Wherever applicable, state regulations and licensure for MFH may apply. Note: occasionally, a Veteran’s family plans to open a MFH with the intent on providing care to their Veteran family member and up to two additional residents – these MFHs must meet the same MFH standards.                            MFH's are generally distinguished from other CRC homes in that, 1) the home is owned or rented by the caregiver; 2) the MFH caregiver lives in the MFH and provides personal care and supervision; 3) there are no more than three residents receiving care in the MFH, including both Veterans and non-Veterans; and 4) MFH residents are enrolled in a VA interdisciplinary home care program. These factors facilitate matching suitable MFH with the greater complexity of this subset of Veterans.

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