Admission shall be granted only to veterans who were residents of Maine at the time of their entry into the United States Armed Forces or who are residents of Maine at the time of application, and to the spouses, widows or widowers, and gold star parents of eligible veterans, provided that suitable facilities are available. Eligible Veterans must have served one or more days on active duty other than for training purposes in the United States Armed Forces including the Reserve and National Guard components. Dishonorably discharged Veterans are not eligible for admission.

Admission shall be granted when provisions of the rules are met, when there is a vacancy that meets the needs of the veteran and in order of application unless otherwise provided in the rules.  The admission coordinator, in consultation, if necessary, with the director of nursing, social services, medical director or administrator, will determine whether or not there are available sufficient and appropriate resources to care for the applicant at this time using the following criteria:

• A payment source must be available.
• All applicants for nursing home placement under the Medicaid Program must be medically eligible per the Department of Health and Human Services Maine Eligibility Determination assessment.
• All applicants must be eligible per the pre-admission screening for mental illness/mental retardation.

Priority for Admission:

• Veterans with a service connected disability in need of care due to the service-connected disability will receive first priority.
• Wartime veterans will receive second priority

• Wartime service dates may be verified by contacting the Maine Bureau of Veterans Services, the state where the veteran enlisted into the service, the Veterans Regional Medical Center, or the National Personnel Records Center, St. Louis, MO with a date of birth, service dates, social security umber, or the Department of Defense Discharge paper.
• All other eligible veterans will have third priority.

Limit on Non-Veterans

No more than 25% of the home's residents may be other than veterans, i.e.: spouse, widow, widower, gold star parent.

Medicare Skilled Admissions

Applications will be reviewed for Medicare skilled eligibility, utilizing criteria established by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. All residents deemed not eligible for the Skilled Medicare Benefit shall receive a Notice of Non-Coverage before or at the time of admission to the Maine Veterans' Homes.

Open Admission Policy Statement

It is the policy of the Maine Veterans' Home to admit and to treat all residents without regard to race, color, or national origin, or political, religious, or fraternal preference or opinions, sex, sexual preference, age, or payment source. The same requirements for admission are applied to all, and residents are assigned within the Homes without regard to race, color, or national origin, or political, religious, or fraternal preference or opinions, sex, sexual preference, age, or payment source. There is no distinction in eligibility for, or in the manner of, providing a resident service provided by the Home based on race, color, or national origin, or political, religious, or fraternal preference or opinions, sex, sexual preference, age or payment source. All facilities of the nursing home are available without distinction to all residents and visitors, regardless of race, color, or national origin, or political, religious, or fraternal preference or opinions, sex, sexual preference, age, or payment source.