§17.65. Approvals and provisional approvals of community residential care facilities. — Inbound Citations

For the purpose of §§ 17.61 through 17.72:

(d) Medical foster homes will be approved by a VA Medical Foster Homes Coordinator based on the report of a VA inspection and on any findings of necessary interim monitoring of the medical foster home, if that home meets the standards established in § 17.74. The approval process is governed by the process for approving community residential care facilities under §§ 17.65 through 17.72 except as follows:

(1) Where §§ 17.65 through 17.72 reference § 17.63.

(2) Because VA does not physically place veterans in medical foster homes, VA also does not assist veterans in moving out of medical foster homes as we do for veterans in other community residential care facilities under § 17.72(d)(2); however, VA will assist such veterans in locating an approved medical foster home when relocation is necessary.

(3) If all occupants are not evacuated within three minutes or if a veteran resident is either permanently or temporarily unable to participate in drills, then the medical foster home will be given a 60-day provisional approval, after which time the home must have established one of the following remedial options or VA will terminate the approval in accordance with § 17.65.

(i) The home is protected throughout with an automatic sprinkler system in accordance with section 9.7 of NFPA 101 (incorporated by reference, see § 17.1) and whichever of the following apply: NFPA 13 (incorporated by reference, see § 17.1); NFPA 13R (incorporated by reference, see § 17.1); or NFPA 13D (incorporated by reference, see § 17.1).

(ii) Each veteran resident who is permanently or temporarily unable to participate in a drill or who fails to evacuate within three minutes must have a bedroom located at the ground level with direct access to the exterior of the home that does not require travel through any other portion of the residence, and access to the ground level must meet the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The medical foster home caregiver's bedroom must also be on ground level.