In eBenefits, apply using the Veterans On-line Application (VONAPP) to complete and submit your application online. You can also submit a paper application. To do this, download and complete VA Form 22-1990, Application for VA Education Benefits and mail it to a VA Regional Processing Office.
But such care can be expensive, costing upward of $10,000 a month, according to the Health Affairs study. That puts hospices in a financial bind. Last year, the Medicare program paid a base rate of $151 per day to cover all routine hospice services, adjusted for geographic differences.
A study conducted by Duke University (using data from the 1993-2003 National Long Term Care Survey) showed reduced Medicare expenditures in the last year of life. These savings averaged $2309 per hospice user, with a maximum for $7000 for cancer and $3500 for other primary conditions.These savings were greatest for a cancer diagnosis when hospice was used for the last 58-103 days of life, and for other primary conditions, the last 50-108 days of life.5 The share of beneficiaries aged 85 or older who died while in hospice care rose from 21 percent to 45 percent between 2000 and 2008 (Figure 4). The number of Medicare hospice clients increased to 1,055,000 in 2008, and the average length of stay increased from 80 days in 2007 to 83 days in 2008.