(a) The Secretary may treat a health facility (or certain beds in a health facility) as a State home for purposes of subchapter V of chapter 17 of this title if the following requirements are met:
(1)
The facility (or certain beds in such facility) meets the standards for the provision of nursing home care that are applicable to State homes, as prescribed by the Secretary under section 8134(b) of this title, and such other standards relating to the facility (or certain beds in such facility) as the Secretary may require.
(3)
The State demonstrates in an application to the Secretary that, but for the treatment of a facility (or certain beds in such facility), as a State home under this subsection, a substantial number of veterans residing in the geographic area in which the facility is located who require nursing home care will not have access to such care.
(4)
The Secretary determines that the treatment of the facility (or certain beds in such facility) as a State home best meets the needs of veterans for nursing home care in the geographic area in which the facility is located.
(5)
The Secretary approves the application submitted by the State with respect to the facility (or certain beds in such facility).
(b)
The Secretary may not treat a health facility (or certain beds in a health facility) as a State home under subsection (a) if the Secretary determines that such treatment would increase the number of beds allocated to the State in excess of the limit on the number of beds provided for by regulations prescribed under section 8134(a) of this title.
(c) The number of beds occupied by veterans in a health facility for which payment may be made under subchapter V of chapter 17 of this title by reason of subsection (a) shall not exceed—
(2) in the case of any State, the difference between—
(A)
the number of veterans authorized to be in beds in State homes in such State under regulations prescribed under section 8134(a) of this title; and
(d)
The number of beds in a health facility in a State that has been treated as a State home under subsection (a) shall be taken into account in determining the unmet need for beds for State homes for the State under section 8134(d)(1) of this title.
(e)
The Secretary may not treat any new health facilities (or any new certain beds in a health facility) as a State home under subsection (a) after September 30, 2009.