The short answer: Florida runs nine State Veterans' Homes: eight skilled nursing homes and one assisted living facility, the Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Veterans' Domiciliary Home in Lake City. Together they care for nearly 1,100 residents, and a 10th home is being built in Naples. Residents pay based on income rather than a market rate, and veterans with a 70% or higher service-connected rating pay no room and board in the nursing homes. The catch is choice: there's only one assisted living home, in north Florida, and admission requires VA certification and can involve a waitlist. Most veterans who want assisted living near family use a private facility, often paid partly with the VA pension's Aid and Attendance benefit.
What are Florida's State Veterans' Homes?
"The Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs operates eight skilled nursing facilities and one assisted living facility. All facilities are licensed by the Agency for Health Care Administration and inspected annually by AHCA and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs" (Florida Department of Veterans' Affairs):
| Home | City | Type | Beds | Memory care places |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert H. Jenkins Jr. Veterans' Domiciliary Home | Lake City | Assisted living | 150 | None listed |
| Emory L. Bennett | Daytona Beach | Skilled nursing | 120 | None listed |
| Baldomero Lopez | Land O' Lakes | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Alexander "Sandy" Nininger | Pembroke Pines | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Clifford C. Sims | Panama City | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Douglas T. Jacobson | Port Charlotte | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Clyde E. Lassen | St. Augustine | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Ardie R. Copas | Port St. Lucie | Skilled nursing | 120 | 60 |
| Alwyn C. Cashe | Orlando | Skilled nursing | 112 | 32 |
The department describes "our nearly 1,100 residents in our network of State Veterans' Homes" (FDVA newsletter, August 2026), serving a state with nearly 1.4 million veterans (FDVA newsletter, July 2026). On July 10, 2026, officials broke ground on a 120-bed Collier County State Veterans' Nursing Home in Naples, with an adult day health care center on the campus. Construction is expected to take about two years, and it will become "Florida's 10th State Veterans' Home" (FDVA).
How is the Lake City domiciliary different from regular assisted living?
It's a real assisted living facility, licensed by the state, with an extended congregate care license that lets it provide more help than a standard license (Jenkins admission packet). By law it serves veterans "who are not in need of hospitalization or nursing home care and who can attend to their personal needs, dress themselves, and attend a general dining facility, or who are in need of extended congregate care" (s. 296.03, Florida Statutes). Its admission rules must match the ones for all Florida assisted living facilities (rule 55-11.005). Our guide to Florida license types explains what extended congregate care adds.
The admission packet asks that applicants:
- not need nursing home care;
- need help or supervision with at least one daily activity, such as bathing, dressing or managing medications;
- be able to move in and out of a wheelchair on their own, if they use one.
It can't admit residents on kidney dialysis or who need thickened liquids, and personal pets aren't allowed. The monthly cost covers housing, utilities, three hot meals and an evening snack, "a nurse on duty everyday around the clock," weekly housekeeping, a furnished room, local transportation and help with daily activities.
Cost depends on income. The latest published schedule, effective January 2022, charged net monthly income minus a $156 personal allowance, up to $1,557.63 a month for a shared room. Those figures are out of date, so call the home at (386) 758-0600 for current rates. Residents must apply for all benefits they may qualify for (Jenkins admission packet).
Who is eligible?
FDVA's summary: "Basic admission requirements for all state veterans' homes include an honorable discharge, state residency prior to admission, and certification of need of assisted living or skilled nursing care as determined by a VA physician" (FDVA). Under Florida law, applicants must also (s. 296.36; s. 296.06):
- be a Florida resident "at the time of application." There's no minimum length of residency;
- have applied for all financial help reasonably available from government sources, such as Medicaid;
- not owe money to the department from a previous stay.
Since July 2024, a veteran's spouse or surviving spouse can also be admitted, but last in priority and as space allows (House bill analysis, HB 725). The VA doesn't pay for non-veterans (VA), so a spouse pays the home's full daily cost of care (rule 55-12.006). For the nursing homes, Florida residents come first, then veterans whose disability is service-connected, then veterans with other disabilities who can't afford care (s. 296.36).
What does a State Veterans' Home cost?
In the nursing homes, residents with income over $160 a month contribute "to the fullest extent possible," but never more than the actual cost of running the home (s. 296.37). In practice: "Net Monthly Income – $160 personal needs allowance = Monthly Cost of Care." Veterans rated 70% to 100% service-connected "are exempt from room and board charges, pharmacy charges, and other specific costs" (FDVA nursing home application). FDVA doesn't publish a flat daily rate.
The VA pays each home a daily amount for every eligible veteran (VA):
| VA basic daily rate | October 2025 to September 2026 | October 2026 to September 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing home | $148.71 | $153.47 |
| Domiciliary (assisted living) | $64.19 | $66.24 |
| Adult day health care | $118.48 | $122.27 |
For veterans rated 70% or more, or who need care for a service-connected condition, the VA pays a much higher "prevailing rate" set for each home: between $536.81 and $586.87 a day at Florida's homes for the year that began in October 2026 (VA). The home "shall not charge any individual, insurer, or entity (other than VA)" for that care (38 CFR 51.41).
Medicaid and Medicare also reimburse the homes for eligible residents (House bill analysis). Medicare covers short skilled nursing stays after a hospital admission, but "Medicare doesn't pay for long-term care" (Medicare.gov).
How does a State Veterans' Home compare with private assisted living?
| Lake City domiciliary | State veterans nursing home | Private assisted living | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level of care | Assisted living, with extended congregate care | 24-hour skilled nursing; memory care at seven homes | Varies by license, from basic help to extended care |
| Who pays | Income-based contribution, with VA paying part | Income minus $160 a month; 70%+ rated veterans pay no room and board | Usually private pay; VA pension, insurance or Medicaid may help |
| Locations | One, in Lake City | Eight around the state | 3,006 licensed facilities across Florida in our directory |
| Spouses | Last in priority, pay full cost | Last in priority, pay full cost | Couples can share a room |
| Waiting | Waitlists possible | Waitlists possible | Varies by facility |
The nursing homes offer far more care than assisted living, and our comparison of nursing homes and assisted living explains the difference. For a veteran who needs only help with medications, meals and bathing, the realistic options are the single Lake City home or a private facility closer to family. Couples should read our guide to assisted living for couples, since a non-veteran spouse waits last in line for a state home.
How does the VA help with private assisted living?
The VA is clear that "the VA does not pay for room and board in residential settings such as Assisted Living or Adult Family Homes" (VA), though it "may pay for some of the extra services the Veteran may need" (VA). The main ways veterans cover the bill:
- Pension with Aid and Attendance. For a wartime veteran who needs help with daily activities, the 2026 maximum is $29,093 a year with no dependents, or $34,488 with one dependent. The net worth limit is $163,699 through November 30, 2026, not counting the home or car (VA). VA hadn't published the December 2026 figures when this guide was written. Our Aid and Attendance guide explains how to apply.
- VA nursing care. The VA runs more than 100 Community Living Centers, its own nursing homes, and contracts with community nursing homes, depending on service-connected status, disability level and income (VA).
- Medical Foster Homes. These are private homes approved by VA, but "not provided or paid for by VA," at about $1,500 to $3,000 a month (VA).
Medicaid can also help with assisted living for veterans who qualify financially; our guide to Medicaid and assisted living covers it.
How do you apply to a State Veterans' Home?
For a nursing home, send a completed application to the home you want "via fax, mail, email, or in person." Veterans rated 70% to 100% service-connected don't need to submit financial documents, only proof of their rating. If the home places you on a waiting list, "a reassessment will be conducted prior to admission to confirm medical eligibility" (FDVA nursing home application). For the Lake City domiciliary, the application goes to the home itself, and when a room opens the applicant takes a final preadmission physical in Lake City, with travel costs at their own expense (rule 55-11.006).
County veteran service officers help with applications for free (rule 55-11.005), and they can also help with VA pension claims. If you're near Jacksonville, our Jacksonville guide for veterans covers local VA care and facilities. Wherever you're looking, apply to a state home early and compare private facilities at the same time, so a waitlist doesn't leave your family without options.
