10 Best Memory Care Facilities in Tampa, FL

Many families pay for memory care with a combination of private savings, long-term care insurance, and public assistance. Because memory care is a specialized form of health care, public assistance programs like Medicaid and veterans benefits can often cover part, if not all, of the cost for low-income individuals.

Higher-income individuals may still be able to access some of these public funds to pay for part of their memory care, or they may use their long-term care insurance plans. And, using their additional savings or retirement accounts on top of this can make other, higher-cost memory care communities available to them.

Living in Florida is sometimes part of a senior’s future plan for retirement as the state doesn’t tax individual income, including Social Security benefits. Florida also has no estate or inheritance tax, which benefits a seniors’ retirement income even more.

Selling a house, applying for a reverse mortgage, or using a Health Savings Account are other ways a senior can access more money to fund their memory care. Below, you’ll find articles explaining these methods and more options to help your loved one fund their ideal retirement.

Veterans find a welcoming community of like-minded people in Tampa, Florida. Senior veterans can have an easy time connecting, as almost 40% of Tampa’s veterans are over 65.^[03] Aging veterans can access different types of financial assistance through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, like the VA Pension and the Aid and Attendance benefit.

Can I pay for memory care using the VA Pension?

Yes, low-income veterans can cover some of their memory care expenses with the VA pension. The VA pension is a monthly allowance that veterans can use to cover anything that improves their quality of life, including residential memory care. How much a veteran receives depends on many factors, like how long they served and their highest salary while employed by the military. Memory care is expensive, and the VA pension alone may not cover the entire cost. Veterans are eligible for the VA pension if they meet the following criteria:

• Are 65+ or disabled
• Have served at least 90 days of active duty and at least one day of wartime service
• Are low-income
• Have an honorable discharge

Can I use the Aid and Attendance benefit to pay for memory care?

The Aid and Attendance benefit may cover even more memory care costs, as it’s additional money added to the VA pension. To be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit, veterans must first receive the VA pension and be enrolled in the VA health care system. The Aid and Attendance benefit can be used to pay for anything the veteran needs to improve their quality of life. If a veteran’s dementia diagnosis is a result of their service, it may qualify them to receive more income from the Aid and Attendance benefit.

While the amount differs for each veteran, the Aid and Attendance benefit has the potential to cover a large portion of a veteran’s memory care costs. To be eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit, veterans must meet at least one of the following criteria:

• The veteran needs assistance with some activities of daily living.
• The veteran has very limited eyesight.
• The veteran is bedbound due to illness.
• The veteran already lives in a long-term care facility.

Can I use the Housebound allowance to pay for memory care?

The Housebound allowance is separate from the VA Pension or the Aid and Attendance benefit, and it can only be used to pay for a veteran’s in-home health care. The Housebound allowance is for veterans with age-related disabilities that keeps them housebound, like those in need of hospice care. It won’t pay for rent or meals at a memory care facility, but it may pay for home health care services that include specialized memory care. It also can’t be combined with the Aid and Attendance benefit.

Is there a VA memory care facility in Tampa?

In Florida, local veterans may also access memory care in nursing homes run by the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs (FDVA). The Baldomero Lopez State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Land O’Lakes is the closest VA nursing home to Tampa, and it reserves about half of its 120 beds for veterans in need of memory care.

While applying doesn’t guarantee admission, veterans or their family members can apply to be on the waitlist directly on the FDVA website.

Veterans benefit counseling and advocacy groups

Applying for veterans benefits is notoriously complex. And, because the process is easy to do wrong, the results can sometimes be discouraging, requiring the need for claim appeals. Though, with the right guidance, every veteran can receive their eligible benefits with the right help. The local veterans resources outlined below can help you in the process of accessing your benefits.

Florida veterans can use the Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs’ (or FDVA) virtual benefits counseling services for benefit advising and assistance. Veterans can request a video conference appointment through the FDVA by calling the center at 727-319-7408. FDVA benefits counselors can walk you and your loved one through the benefits application process, and can even help to contest denied claims.

Tampa also has other local programs to help veterans access their eligible benefits. The Hillsborough County Veteran’s Resources Center offers benefits counseling and referral services. Local chapters of Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and Disabled American Veterans (DAV) also provide benefits counseling and can even connect veterans with legal assistance to appeal decisions.

The Tampa Vet Center is another local resource with the general goal of helping Tampa veterans achieve their goals. They can provide an array of services, like mental health counseling and referral services to housing and other assistance programs in the city. The Tampa Vet Center welcomes walk-ins, but you can make a counseling appointment by calling 813-372-0400.

To reach out to any of the above mentioned programs or organizations, see the resources section below.

Florida Medicaid is run by the Agency for Health Care Administration (or the AHCA). Medicaid is health insurance for low-income individuals, and each state runs its Medicaid program a little differently. Like most states, Florida offers a few different Medicaid plans. Seniors in need of memory care can pick Florida Medicaid’s Statewide Medicaid Managed Care (or SMMC) Long-Term Care (or LTC) plan.

What does Florida Medicaid cover?

This SMMC LTC plan covers most health-related costs and may reimburse enrollees for the following services:

• Doctors’ visits
• Prescribed medications
• Procedures
• Anesthesia
• Chiropractic services
• Dental and vision care
• Dialysis
• Hospital stays
• Labs
• X-Rays

Will Florida Medicaid cover memory care?

The SMMC LTC plan doesn’t explicitly state that it covers memory care, but it does cover many memory care services, like the following:

• Personal care to help with activities of daily living (ADLs)
• Behavior management
• Speech, behavior, and physical therapy
• Medication management

The goal of Florida’s LTC plan is to keep seniors out of nursing homes as long as possible by focusing on preventable conditions. This is why the LTC plan won’t pay for room and board costs, but will pay for care services in the senior’s current residence.

However, if a senior with memory loss has chronic medical needs severe enough to require skilled nursing care, they can move into a Medicaid-approved Tampa nursing home. In this case alone, Florida’s LTC plan will cover the entire room and board cost of that care. In Florida, a senior needs to go through an assessment with a physician to determine if they require this nursing home-level of care.

Who’s eligible for Florida Medicaid’s Long-Term Care (LTC) plan?

Florida Medicaid is for low-income individuals who don’t otherwise have access to private long-term care health insurance. Medicaid’s Long-Term Care (LTC) plan is specifically for seniors or people with disabilities. To qualify for Florida Medicaid’s LTC plan, individuals need to meet the following criteria:

• Be a Florida resident
• Be 65 years or older or disabled
• Be without other health insurance
• Be low-income: A couple can make no more than $24,353 annually before taxes, and a single individual can make no more than $18,075 before taxes. These numbers are adjusted for inflation each year.

Get help accessing your Florida Medicaid benefits

Tampa seniors have a few different local resources to help them access their Medicaid benefits. The first is the Senior Connection Center, Inc., which is the Hillsborough County Area Agency on Aging. This organization can help you apply for Florida Medicaid’s LTC plan, and compassionate advisors can make sure you get the benefits you need.

The Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) is a useful resource for Medicaid recipients. It hosts a few different helpful pages about Medicaid. Like the Florida Health Finder, which helps Medicaid enrollees to assess their health plan options before they make a choice. It provides quality of care data and survey results from members of the different local health plans. The Health Finder page also has a database to search for your local Medicaid-accepting health care providers. It also details information about how to apply for the LTC plan. You can direct any complaints about Florida’s Medicaid program to your local ombudsman.

Medicare is a health care program funded by the federal government. Its purpose is to offset health care costs for individuals over 65 and disabled individuals. Unlike Medicaid, Medicare only covers certain health care costs and never covers rent, meals, or other fees related to memory care. Specifically, Medicare only covers medically necessary and short-term health care expenses for people over 65 who have paid Medicare taxes (or are married to someone who has) or disabled people.

Is memory care a “short-term” expense according to Medicare?

No, memory care isn’t considered a short-term medical expense, as dementia is a chronic condition. According to Medicare, “short-term” means expenses or treatments that are under 100 days. For instance, a five-day in-patient stay at a hospital to recover from a severe disease or injury is short-term.

Medicare pays 100% of all health care expenses for the first 20 days of a patient’s stay in a hospital or skilled nursing unit. From days 21-100, seniors pay a daily copay, which is $200. After day 100, Medicare won’t pay for your care.

Is memory care “medically necessary” according to Medicare?

No, according to Medicare, memory care is not medically necessary care and isn’t covered by Medicare. However, if a senior living in a memory care facility has a medically necessary medication or requires a medically necessary procedure, Medicare will cover only those health care costs.

It’s important to note that what’s considered medically necessary for one person may not be for another. To find out if Medicare considers your medication or procedure medically necessary, you can search directly on the Medicare website or dial 2-1-1 to speak to a local Social Security officer.

Can Tampa, Florida, residents get help paying their Medicare premiums?

Florida residents may be able to get help covering their Medicare premiums using Medicare Savings Programs. The federal Medicare website outlines these programs, but to apply you’ll need to contact Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration (or AHCA) directly. To be eligible for these programs, a single person must meet low-income thresholds of between $1,153 and $1,549, although these numbers are updated annually. These were the numbers for 2022.

Get help accessing Medicare

The local Area of Agency on Aging in Tampa, Florida, is called Senior Connection Center Inc. This organization offers benefits counseling for Medicare and can connect you with the right Medicare Savings Programs. Senior Connection Center Inc. runs the local Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders (SHINE) program, which can appeal Medicare coverage decisions on your behalf and guide you through the application process. The local ombudsman is your go-to contact for any complaints you may have about your Medicare benefits.