There are 23.7 million military veterans in the United States, and many of them are seniors, or soon will be.

TRICARE, a healthcare program of the United States Department of Defense Military Health System, offers some options to help veterans and their loved ones make a decision.

Skilled Nursing Care:  This is covered by TRICARE in the United States and its territories within skilled nursing facilities if a veteran has a hospital stay of three or more days.

Services covered by skilled nursing care include semi-private rooms, meals, nursing care, physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology services, medical social services, medications, medical supplies and equipment, ambulance transportation and dietary counseling.

Durable Medical Equipment (DME):  This is equipment (e.g., oxygen equipment or insulin pumps) that holds up to repeated use.  

TRICARE covers DME when prescribed by a physician to increase the veteran's quality of life while under skilled nursing care.  

Home Healthcare:  This is care provided by nurses, nurses' aides or therapists who come to a veteran's home to help.

TRICARE covers part-time and intermittent skilled nursing care, home health aide services, physical, speech and occupational therapy, and medical social services.

Hospice Care:  For the terminally ill, this care emphasizes supportive services such as pain control and home care.  

When veterans select hospice care, they have decided that they no longer want care to cure a terminal illness and/or their doctor has determined that efforts to cure their illness are not working.

Within a restrictive framework, TRICARE does cover hospice care.

Long-term Care:  TRICARE does not cover this.

The Department of Veterans Affairs: The VA does pay for long-term care services for service-related disabilities and for certain other eligible veterans.

The VA also offers nursing home care and at-home care for aging veterans who required long-term care.

Other Options: Veterans may qualify to purchase long-term healthcare insurance through commercial insurance or through the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP).

Due to the conflicting mandates of TRICARE, Medicare and the VA, veterans should carefully read and learn about what will work for them in their specific cases.

Furthermore, veterans are encouraged to consult an advisor and learn what plans will best serve their aged medical needs.

For a step in the right direction, visit benefits.va.gov/persona/veteran-elderly.asp, tricare.org, or Itcfed.com.