2805-o. Identification of veterans and their spouses by nursing homes and residential health care facilities. 1. Every nursing home and residential health care facility as defined in subdivisions two and three of section two thousand eight hundred one of this article shall keep and maintain accurate records identifying veterans and their spouses residing within such facilities. Such information shall be solicited by nursing home and/or residential health care facility staff upon a patient's admission, noted on the admission form, and included with the patient's file. In the case of patients currently residing at such nursing homes or residential health care facilities, staff shall solicit such information from each patient residing at such institution and update the patient's file to indicate veteran status.
2. Every nursing home and residential health care facility shall in writing advise all individuals identifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans that the division of veterans' affairs and local veterans' service agencies established pursuant to section three hundred fifty-seven of the executive law to provide assistance to veterans and their spouses regarding benefits under federal and state law. Such written information shall include the name, address and telephone number of the New York state division of veterans' affairs, the nearest division of veterans' affairs office, the nearest county or city veterans' service agency and the nearest accredited veterans' service officer.
3. Every nursing home and residential health care facility, upon request of individuals identifying themselves as veterans or spouses of veterans, shall transmit such veteran status information to the division of veterans' affairs.
4. Any person who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a civil fine not to exceed fifty dollars per violation but in no event shall any fine exceed one thousand dollars.
Last modified: February 3, 2019