An Act to amend the eligibility for admission to the state veterans’ home and repeal the residency requirement.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of South Dakota:
Section 1. That 33A-4-25 be AMENDED:
33A-4-25.
Any
A veteran,
as defined by 33A-2-1,
is eligible for admission to the state veterans home if the veteran:
who has an honorable discharge, who has maintained a residence in the
state at any time in the five years preceding the date of the
application, and who has no income in excess of one thousand dollars
per year above the maximum income limitation for pension benefits as
determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, is
eligible for admission to the State Veterans' Home
(1) Is eligible for per diem payment for domiciliary care or nursing home care in a state veterans home;
(2) Has no adequate means of support, as determined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs; or
(3) Has a rating of total disability as defined by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs for pension and compensation purposes.
A
veteran who was domiciled in the state or in a federally recognized
Tribe in this state at any time in the five years preceding the date
of application must receive preference for admission. For
the purposes of this section, a residence is a physical structure in
which a person resides and the term does not include a post office
box or address of another mail service purchased by the veteran. A
veteran who meets the residence requirements and has a rating of
total disability as defined by the United States Department of
Veterans Affairs for pension and compensation purposes is also
eligible for admission.
MembershipResidency
status at the State Veterans' Home is not affected because of a
medical leave of absence either in a United States Department of
Veterans Affairs facility or other hospital. Any
veteran who is an enrolled member of a federally recognized Indian
tribe located wholly or partially in the state meets the residency
requirement.