New York State law limits eligibility for admission to the New York State Veterans' Home to veterans and their dependents.
For your convenience, a PDF version of the New York State Veterans Homes "Application for Admission" form has been provided below. The form may be downloaded, viewed, and printed. The form may then be filled in and mailed to the Home of choice. Adobe Acrobat Reader is required to view or print PDF files and is available free. To download Adobe Acrobat Reader, click the button and follow the instructions.

• The Home is certified for Medicare and Medicaid.
• Each person admitted to the home must require skilled nursing care. Each application is reviewed to determine the applicant's need for services provided by the home.

To be eligible for admission to the Home, certain criteria must be met:

• The applicant must have entered active duty from the State of New York or be a New York State resident for one year prior to application for admission.
• The veteran must also have had an honorable discharge from the United States Armed Forces.
• The veteran must have had at least thirty (30) days of active service.
• A veteran accompanied by their spouse both of whom require skilled nursing care will receive the highest priority for admission followed by "wartime" veterans; "non-wartime" veterans, spouses and unremarried surviving spouses, and then Gold Star mothers and fathers.

A "wartime" veteran is defined as a veteran who served during any one of the following hostilities and its authorized time frame:

Spanish American War - April 21, 1898 - April 11, 1899
Philippine Insurrection - April 11, 1899 - July 4, 1902
World War I - April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918
World War II - December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1946 (special rules apply, please call Admissions Department)
Korean Conflict - June 27, 1950 - January 31, 1955
Vietnam Conflict - February 28, 1961 - May 7, 1975
Lebanon* - June 1, 1983 - December 1, 1987
Grenada* - October 23, 1983 - November 21, 1983
Panama* - December 20, 1989 - January 31, 1990
Persian Gulf - August 2, 1990 - end of conflict
*If recipient of Armed Forces, Navy or Marine Corps expeditionary medal for participation in operations.

A spouse of an otherwise qualified veteran, unless legally separated, may be admitted to the Home if the spouse was married to an eligible veteran for 1 year prior to application and requires skilled nursing care.
A spouse may accompany a qualified veteran for admission if both the veteran and spouse qualify and require skilled nursing care. If the veteran dies, the spouse may continue in residence provided he or she needs skilled nursing care.

• Unremarried Surviving Spouse of Veteran
• An unremarried surviving spouse of an eligible veteran may also apply for admission:
  • An unremarried surviving spouse must have been married to an eligible veteran for at least 1 year prior to application for admission.
  • If the veteran died on active duty, length of service is not required.
• Parent of a Veteran - Mothers and fathers of an eligible veteran may also apply for admission:
  • Eligibility is limited to parents only of those eligible veterans who died while on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States
    (referred to as Gold Star parents).
  • Veteran length of service is not required.