Update from VA Home Yountville

VA Home Yountville admissions volunteer Dick Sutton returned my call today; I had left a message to inquire on the status of Bill's housing application, of which I had sent the final part (C) in late May, during my trip to Santa Barbara.

Dick gave me this report:

• Bill's application was received as "complete" on May 15, 2017. This is odd, since I sent in the missing medical records on May 26th. Perhaps Central Files at the VA in Los Angeles had also sent a copy of Bill's medical records directly to Yountville, and what I sent was a duplicate? In any case, this is GOOD NEWS.
• Yountville's review process for Bill's housing application will take two months. Then, Bill will receive an acceptance letter that will include an assignment of the level of care that he will require.
• I believe there are four levels: the higher the need, the longer the wait. It's best to get in at the lowest possible level of care, i.e., "independent."
• After the acceptance letter is sent out, VA Yountville will put Bill on a waiting list.

Dick said that the time to call Yountville will be after Bill receives his acceptance letter. The question to ask is not "How long until Bill gets admitted," but "What movement are you seeing on the wait list for Bill's particular level of care?"

Dick's message was not particularly encouraging. He said there are 1,000 residents at Yountville and 750 of them are residential/independent. When higher level care spots open up, they are usually filled by those who already live there.

If Bill gets in within a year, that would probably be fine. After all, I am currently working on figuring out a good interim solution involving Bill continuing to live at home with support services in place.