Colorado Veterans Community Living Centers

The Colorado Department of Human Services runs five Veterans Community Living Centers: Fitzsimons in Aurora, Bruce McCandless in Florence, Homelake in Monte Vista, Rifle, and Spanish Peaks in Walsenburg. Eligibility is broader than most state veterans homes. Honorably discharged veterans, veterans' spouses and widows, and Gold Star parents of a child who died in service may all be admitted, subject to medical criteria. Gold Star parents are rare in state home eligibility and worth knowing about. Colorado publishes its daily rates, which is unusual and makes planning possible. For a veteran: Homelake $144.28 semi-private and $155.28 private, Rifle $183.23 semi-private, Florence $184.06 for skilled nursing, Walsenburg $188.06 semi-private and $206.53 private, Fitzsimons $254.62 semi-private and $274.62 private. For a spouse or Gold Star parent in the same bed the numbers are far higher: Homelake $292.99 semi-private, Rifle $331.94, Florence $332.77, Walsenburg $317.59, Fitzsimons $403.33. The state explains the gap plainly, that VA covers a portion of the cost of care for veterans and not for others. A couple planning together should treat the veteran's rate and the spouse's rate as two different problems, because the spouse's is roughly $130 to $150 a day more. Location moves the price more than a family might expect. A veteran in a semi-private room pays about $110 a day more at Fitzsimons in Aurora than at Homelake in Monte Vista, which over a year is more than $40,000. Homelake is in the San Luis Valley, roughly four hours from Denver, so this is a genuine trade between cost and proximity to family rather than a discount to be collected. The Homelake cottages are the outlier in the whole catalog. Homelake offers 48 renovated domiciliary cottages, similar to assisted living, at $59.95 a day for income-qualified veterans and $124.14 for spouses and Gold Star parents. Under $1,900 a month for supported housing is cheaper than market-rate rent in much of Colorado. The daily rate is comprehensive, which makes comparison to a private nursing home misleading unless the difference is understood. Medications, primary care physician services, oxygen, wheelchairs, incontinence products and other medical supplies, physical, speech and occupational therapy, and transportation to medical appointments are all included, with no separate charges. A private facility quoting a lower base rate frequently bills those separately. Services differ by site. Memory care is offered at all five, with secure units at Fitzsimons, Florence, Rifle, and Walsenburg. Respite care, for when a home caregiver is unavailable, is at Florence, Homelake, Rifle, and Walsenburg. Domiciliary cottages are only at Homelake. End-of-life and hospice care is at all five. Long-term care accepts Medicaid or Medicaid-eligible residents as well as private payment, and staff help with both Medicaid and VA applications. For short-term rehabilitation, Medicare Part A typically covers up to 20 days after a qualifying hospital stay, after which supplemental insurance or the family pays a portion. Rates change. Confirm the current figure with the admissions office of the specific center before making a decision on it.