West Virginia Memory Care (Residential Alzheimer’s Care): Laws, Costs & Financial Help

Legal Definition of Assisted Living / Memory Care in West Virginia

In West Virginia, assisted living residences provide room and board with personal assistance and supervision to people who have mental or physical impairments. Patients with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia are admitted into what’s called memory care. These wings or separate facilities must meet certain standards, including special training for staff on how to help and communicate with someone who has dementia. Assisted living residences may not provide full-time nursing care, but they will help residents with activities of daily living like eating and bathing. Nutritious meals, a secure environment, and activities that encourage health and socialization are standard at all memory care homes.

While full-time nursing care cannot be provided in memory care, short term nursing care is allowed. If someone in West Virginia needs treatment that is not provided within the residence, they may work with the residence to find a third-party who can come in and deliver the needed care.

Assisted living residences in West Virginia are licensed by the Department of Health and Human Resources.

How Much Does Memory Care Cost in West Virginia?

The cost of assisted living and memory care can vary depending on where in West Virginia the residence is located. The table below lists the median monthly cost of both assisted living and memory care facilities in different areas of the state as of 2025. Individuals who are in the early to mid stages of dementia may be best suited for assisted living facilities, which are less expensive than memory care, while those with more severe symptoms or who are in the late stages of dementia will likely need memory care.

For context, the median cost of assisted living across the country in 2025 was $6,200/month, while it was $6,340/month in West Virginia in 2025.

West Virginia Assisted Living Laws & Regulations

Admissions Process & Requirements

Every resident in assisted living in West Virginia, including memory care, must have a health assessment completed. It can be done anywhere from 60 days prior to entry to 5 days after moving in. Usually, someone who works for the residence will do this assessment and the cost of assessing may be included in the base rate or part of a community fee charged when your loved one moves in. Community fees cover up-front costs like the assessment and preparing a new resident’s room. This fee will usually run between $1,500 and $2,500.

The assessment evaluates a patient’s functional, dietary, health care, and social needs. This information is used to create an individualized care plan that gives staff important information about your loved one’s unique needs and preferences so they are best supported.

Upon admission, the contract between the residence and your loved one includes:

• The type of resident population the residence is able to serve (in memory care this would be people with dementia)
• The nursing care services the residence can provide
• All costs
• Refund policy
• A promise not to charge for costs that are not disclosed upon admission
• Reasons a person can be evicted
• How to file a complaint
• Medication policies
• Policies for managing residents’ money
• Whether the residence has liability coverage

Someone does not need an official diagnosis of Alzheimer’s (or related disease including frontotemporal, vascular, and Lewy body dementias) before moving into dementia care in West Virginia.

While you may be able to move into assisted living in West Virginia on short notice, this is not a good idea. The process of finding the right community takes thorough investigation of many options, including asking questions of residents and staff at any home you’re considering. Your loved one will also be able to provide more input if you begin the search early, before a move is necessary.

Facility / Residence

Bedrooms in assisted living residences must be at least 80 square feet for one person. Newly built residences must have bedrooms that are at least 100 square feet. Double-occupancy rooms must be at least 90 square feet per person. There must be at least one toilet for every six residents, and one bath or shower for every 10 residents.

West Virginia regulations do not mandate that memory care homes must be built with dementia-friendly design features. Those special features would include clear lines of sight, circular hallways so wandering residents will not encounter dead ends, secure outdoor areas, and bright lighting and paint colors have all been shown to benefit people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. You’ll want to keep an eye out for these features as you tour potential homes, thinking about whether your loved one will be comfortable within the spaces.

Staff & Training

At every assisted living residence in West Virginia, there needs to be an administrator who is in charge of the facility and is qualified via state-approved education and experience. In every residence, there must always be enough staff on duty to provide for the needs of every resident, along with someone who has first aid and CPR training. Additionally, a staffer must be awake and on duty 24 hours per day. Administrators must complete a minimum of eight hours of training annually.

Regular staff must have an orientation upon hiring that covers the following:

• Emergency procedures and disaster plans
• Residence policies and procedures
• Abuse prevention and reporting requirements
• Ombudsmen and how to file a complaint
• Caring based on individual needs and service plans
• Activities for groups and individuals

Annual continuing education must include:

• Resident rights
• Confidentiality
• Abuse prevention and reporting
• Resident activities
• Infection control
• Fire safety and evacuation plans

In memory care, staff must complete at least 15 hours of training prior to working hands-on with residents, with 15 hours more before they can be hands-on without supervision. In addition to the annual training listed above, they must have two hours annually on specifically dementia-related issues.

Evictions & Discharges

West Virginia assisted living residences must give 30 days notice before discharging someone except in emergency situations. While there are not many statewide rules, it is stated that if a facility can no longer care for a patient because their health has changed and their medical needs can no longer be met, they must be evicted. Each individual residence has their own rules as to the eviction process and what would cause it. Questions like: Can someone be evicted for late payment of bills, or for verbal abuse? What is the process of appealing an eviction, and does the residence help find more appropriate housing? The answer to these details are important because unfair evictions are a major problem in assisted living. Before agreeing to a move-in contract, make sure you know all the possible reasons a person can be kicked out, and what the steps are. Get these details in writing, so you’re protected. If your loved one in memory care receives an eviction notice and you need to know next steps, click here.

Financial Assistance for Residential Alzheimer’s Memory Care

West Virginia Medicaid Personal Care

The West Virginia Medicaid Personal Care program will pay for long-term care services and supports for qualified individuals, including dementia patients, who live in assisted living or memory care, as well as in their own home or the home of a loved one. However, if the assisted living residence or memory care facility is already providing any of these services, the Personal Care program will not pay for or duplicate them. Program benefits are based on the needs of the individual and they can include light housekeeping (dusting, mopping, laundry, doing dishes), shopping, meal prep and personal care assistance with the Activities of Daily Living.

To qualify for the West Virginia Personal Care program, applicants must meet two financial requirements – an asset limit ($2,000 for an individual in 2026) and an income limit ($994/month for an individual in 2026) – as well as the medical requirement of needing the services provided. Again, the program will not pay for any services that are already offered by the assisted living facility.

Veterans Affairs (VA)

Qualified West Virginia veterans (or their surviving spouses) with dementia can also receive financial assistance through a Veterans Affairs (VA) Pension that they could use to pay for assisted living or memory care.

There are three levels of VA Pensions – Basic, Aid & Attendance (A&A) and Housebound. To qualify for any of them, veterans or their surviving spouses need to meet a net worth limit of $163,699 (effective Dec. 1, 2025 – Nov. 30, 2026), which is calculated by adding the total of their assets to their annual income. Some assets are exempt, like a primary home, primary vehicle and household furniture and appliances. VA Pension applicants also have to meet an income limit to be eligible – their income must be less than the VA Pension they are applying for in order for them to qualify. And veterans must meet a military service requirement, which includes not having received a dishonorable discharge.

To qualify for A&A, veterans or their surviving spouses must also meet a medical requirement, which is one of the following must be true:

• They need help to perform the Activities of Daily Living (mobility, bathing, dressing/grooming, eating, toileting) OR
• They have to stay in bed for at least a large portion of the day due to illness OR
• They are in a nursing home due to loss of mental or physical abilities OR
• Their eyesight is extremely limited (5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contacts; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or fewer)

To qualify for Housebound, veterans must spend most of their time in their home due to a permanent disability.

There is no medical requirement for VA Basic Pensions.

Qualified veterans or their surviving spouses are entitled to their Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) minus their annual income. The following MAPRs are effective from Dec. 1, 2025 to Nov. 30, 2026:

VA Basic Pension MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $17,441
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $22,839
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $11,699
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $15,311
• Two veterans married to each other: $22,839

VA Aid & Attendance MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $29,093
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $34,488
• Surviving spouses without dependent children a maximum of $18,697
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $22,304
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A: $33,548
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for A&A and one for Housebound: $38,350
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for A&A: $46,143

VA Housebound MAPRs

• Veterans without spouses or children: $21,313
• Veterans with dependent spouses or children: $26,710
• Surviving spouses without dependent children: $14,298
• Surviving spouses with dependent children: $17,902
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies for Housebound: $26,710
• Two veterans married to each other and both qualify for Housebound: $30,580
• Two veterans married to each other and one qualifies Housebound and the other for A&A: $38,350

Veterans Homes

There are also two veterans’ homes in West Virginia. The first is located in Barboursville, in the western part of the state, about 45 minutes to the west of Charleston. The second is in Clarksburg, in the northern central part of the state, about 40 minutes south of Morgantown. In addition to nursing home care, assisted living and memory care may be provided. Neighboring states also have veterans’ homes. Your loved one might consider looking there for more options as there are no requirements that one must live in the state. For example, Pennsylvania has six veterans’ homes statewide. Additionally, Kentucky has four facilities, Ohio has three and Virginia has two. More info.

Supplemental Security Income

Dementia patients age 65 and over with limited income and assets may qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). These funds can be used to pay for the cost of assisted living or memory care. As of 2026, the maximum SSI benefit for an individual is $994/month and for a married couple it’s $1,491/month.

To qualify for SSI, applicants must be age 65 and over or have a significant disability, and they must meet an income limit and an asset limit. As of 2026, individuals may meet the SSI income limit if they earn less than $2,073/month OR they get less than $1,014/month from non-work sources, like Social Security benefits or pension payments. They may meet the SSI asset limit if they have $2,000 or less in countable assets. For couples, the income limit is $3,067/month in work income or $1,511/month in non-work income, and the asset limit is $3,000.

Other Options

1) Elder care loans exist for families to cover the costs of moving into memory care while waiting for other financial resources to become available. For example, if one is waiting for a VA pension to be approved or waiting to sell a home. More on bridge loans for memory care.

2) Some tax credits and deductions can provide financial relief for seniors with dementia and their families. Seniors with limited financial resources can claim the Credit for the Elderly and/or the Disabled, as long as no one can claim them as a dependent. If someone (like an adult child) can claim the senior as a dependent, they can utilize the Child and Dependent Care Credit, and they can deduct any medical or dental expenses they paid for the senior.

3) A reverse mortgage loan can be a viable option for some senior homeowners who are in need of extra income to help pay dementia care. However, reverse mortgages are not recommended for every senior homeowner who needs extra income, so it’s important to consult with a professional before taking out one of these loans.