History
The origin of the New York State Department of Health-operated Veterans Homes can be traced back to the 1890’s when the auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic, persuaded New York State to establish and maintain a home which a veteran could enter accompanied by his wife without separating them in their advanced years. Before the establishment of the home, veterans could be admitted to the New York State Soldiers and Sailors Home at Bath, New York, but no provision was made for the wives of such Veterans and they were left to care for themselves the best they could. The site chosen for the facility was located in the Village of Oxford, New York in Chenango County and was formally opened on April 19, 1897 and immediately admitted 24 residents members. By 1931, residency at the Oxford Veterans Home grew to 172 residents.
Now, over 125 years later, the number of DOH-operated Veterans Homes has expanded to include three additional Veterans Nursing Homes able to accommodate residency for up to 870 residents across the State.
Following the establishment of the Oxford Veterans Home, the Veterans Nursing Home at St Albans was established in 1993 on the beautifully tree-lined campus of the Federal Veterans Affairs Facility in Jamaica, Queens NY and serves eligible veterans in the greater New York City region with a 250-bed facility.
Subsequently, the Veterans Home at Batavia was established in 1995. The facility is in Genesee County serving the Western region of New York with a bed capacity of 126.
The Veterans Home at Montrose was established in 2001 with a bed capacity of 252. The Veterans Nursing Home is located on a beautiful campus along the Hudson River in Upper Westchester County and serves the lower Hudson Valley Region.
The Veterans Nursing Homes, through the Department of Health, Health Facilities Management, participate in the Federally sponsored State Home Program. This is a specialized U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs program whereby a State working in conjunction with the Federal government provides nursing home care to qualified veterans and their dependents. The establishment, location, control and administration of a State Veterans Home is the responsibility of the State which it serves.
The Department of Health-Operated Veterans Nursing Homes are established in New York State Public Health Law, Article 26-A New York State Veterans Home (NY Pub Health L § 2630). The public health law citation establishes the following purpose:
“The New York state home for veterans and their dependents at Oxford, the New York state home for veterans in the city of New York, the New York state home for veterans in western New York and the New York home for veterans in the lower-Hudson Valley shall be for the care of aged dependent veterans and their spouses, veterans' mothers and fathers, un-remarried surviving spouses, and army nurses.”
Mission, Vision, Values
Mission
The New York State Veterans Homes will provide all who become Residents with the highest quality proven and innovative skilled nursing home care and complementary services in an inclusive, respectful, compassionate, and supportive environment.
Vision
The Homes will embody places of honor, respect, and utmost care for all Residents.
- The Homes expect to provide proven and innovative programs, services, and activities, and serve as examples of the ideal model of care and service.
- The focus will be on improving the Residents’ overall quality of life, while providing peace of mind and comfort to families by knowing their loved ones are receiving the best possible care and services.
- The Homes will employ a professional, dedicated, and well-trained work force, and actively involve devoted volunteers made up of community members and affiliated Veteran organizations.
Values
- Each Resident is regarded as a self-determining person to be treated with honor, respect, and care.
- Each Resident family and their representatives are also part of what embodies each Resident, and they are valued for their role in the Resident’s life.
- Each staff member, volunteer and others working for or on behalf of the Veterans Homes, are valued members of the Homes’ interdisciplinary approach to care that is designed to meet each Resident’s individualized needs. The Home will invest time and resources to enable these members to professionally provide the highest level of care and services to Residents and other members of the Home.
- The Home values its role in serving Residents in New York State and recognizes that this is a unique and necessary service that can only be provided by a State-operated Home.
Accomplishments
The New York State Veterans Homes are highly rated, well-maintained skilled nursing facilities owned and operated by the New York State Department of Health for Veterans, Veteran spouses and Gold Star Family Members. Facilities are maintained on pristine grounds and take pride in maintaining strong staff to resident ratios, modern amenities and open, safe and accommodating spaces.
Each facility is consistently rated highly among nursing home providers across the nation as shown on the Medicare Nursing Home Compare website. We invite visitors to review our CMS star ratings at the below link.
The NYS DOH-Operated Veterans Homes are frequently showcased in Newsweek Magazine’s list of “America’s Best Nursing Homes.” Rankings are compiled based on three critical criteria which includes overall performance data, peer recommendations, and handling of COVID-19 relative to in-state competition.
Nursing Homes in 25 states with the highest population size were included in the study.
Of the over 1,100 nursing homes that were surveyed across the country, we are proud that the DOH-operated Veterans Homes at Oxford, Montrose and St Albans were ranked among the top 50.
(Due to facility size, the Veterans Home at Batavia was not included in the study due to its smaller size (having a bed size of less than 150 beds))