As of March 1, Prairie View Care Center is veterans certified, making it possible for some veterans to receive 100 percent paid nursing home care.
Not all military veterans are eligible to receive these benefits, however. PVCC Administrator Kayla Chaussee says the VA will only pay for veterans who are 70 percent service-related disabled and benefits do not extend to spouses.
The certification was finally awarded after a long battle with the Veteran’s Administration. When Prairie View added on to their facility last year, they also made allowances for upgrades, which were necessary to receive VA certification. The entire facility had to have a fire sprinkler system, which was added at that time.
Following the renovations, Prairie View administration was told there wasn’t a need for a VA certified facility in this area. Not having the certification has forced many veterans to move away from their hometown in order to receive the care they need.
Persistence paid off, following phone calls nearly every day from Woonsocket City Finance Officer Tara Weber and lobbying by PVCC to the Veterans Administration office in Sioux Falls, along with calls to state representatives.
According to Chaussee, the final breaking point for the VA was the fact that Prairie View already had a resident in their care who qualified for the program and no other facility was able to take him.
PVCC received its certification on March 1, under a one year contract. Chaussee expects the contract to last the next four years, however, as contracts are not normally reviewed any more often than that.
Prairie View Care Center is a 52-bed nursing home facility, located on the west edge of Woonsocket. The facility has a special care memory unit, in-house physical therapy services, is Medicare certified and offers short- and long-term residential care. PVCC opened in 1970 and is operated by the Sanborn County Development Corporation.
The public is encouraged to visit the facility and families are welcomed to hold their family gatherings in one of their public spaces. Contact PVCC at 605-796-4467 or e-mail prairieview@santel.net.