Virginia Long Term Care Insurance
Learn about Virginia long term care insurance. Get expert guidance and free quotes from LTC Tree.
Virginia is one of the roughly 40 states that operates an active Long-Term Care Partnership program, which lets residents who buy a qualifying policy keep an extra dollar of assets for every dollar the policy pays out before turning to Medicaid. The Partnership is administered through Virginia Medicaid (now branded Cardinal Care) — the same agency that decides who qualifies for state-paid nursing facility, home health, and PACE services if private resources run out.
Virginia's 65-and-older population has been growing faster than the state as a whole for more than a decade, particularly outside the Northern Virginia and Tidewater corridors, where adult children are often several hours away from aging parents in the Shenandoah Valley or Southside. That demographic gap is the practical case for planning ahead in writing, not improvising during a hospital discharge call.
What Long-Term Care Costs in Virginia
Costs vary widely across the Commonwealth: a private nursing-home room in Arlington or Fairfax is materially more expensive than the same room in Lynchburg or Wytheville, and assisted-living and home-health rates follow the same regional pattern. For facility-specific Virginia pricing and quality ratings, the most reliable free resource is Medicare.gov's Care Compare tool, which lists every Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing facility in the state with current per-day private-pay rates as reported by the operator.
Three planning points apply regardless of region:
- Medicare pays for at most 100 days of skilled nursing care after a qualifying hospital stay, and only while the patient is improving — it is not long-term care coverage.
- Standard health insurance and Medicare Advantage plans do not cover custodial assistance with bathing, dressing, transferring, or supervision for cognitive impairment.
- Cardinal Care (Virginia Medicaid) only pays for long-term services and supports after the applicant meets both a functional level-of-care test and a strict financial test.
Paying for Long-Term Care in Virginia
Cardinal Care and the asset test. Virginia Medicaid follows the federal SSI-related Medicaid framework: a single applicant for nursing-facility or HCBS waiver coverage is generally limited to $2,000 in countable assets, with separate community-spouse protections for married couples. Virginia delivers most LTSS through managed care under Cardinal Care, which absorbed the former CCC Plus program; covered settings include nursing facilities, specialized care facilities, long-stay hospitals, home health, and the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Eligibility, level-of-care screening, and waiver enrollment information are published by the Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services on its long-term care page linked above.
Partnership asset disregard. A Partnership-qualified Virginia policy provides a dollar-for-dollar disregard at Medicaid eligibility: if the policy paid $200,000 in benefits, the policyholder keeps an additional $200,000 in assets above the standard limit and still qualifies for Medicaid LTSS. Inflation-protection requirements apply by issue age, which is why Partnership status is tied to specific policy designs rather than a single rider.
Insurance regulation and policyholder protections. The Virginia Bureau of Insurance, a division of the State Corporation Commission, reviews every long-term care rate-increase filing in Virginia, requires carriers to notify affected policyholders, and accepts written consumer comments on pending increases at LTCRateComment@scc.virginia.gov. If a Virginia-licensed LTC carrier becomes insolvent, the Virginia Life, Accident & Sickness Insurance Guaranty Association covers in-force LTC benefits up to a statutory lifetime cap of $300,000 per insured. Both the rate-review process and the guaranty cap are explained on the Bureau of Insurance LTC page.
Long-Term Care Insurance Options for Virginia Residents
Several household-name carriers — including Genworth, John Hancock, MetLife, Prudential, Transamerica, and MassMutual — no longer issue new traditional individual long-term care policies in Virginia or anywhere else, which is why marketing copy from a few years ago no longer matches what is on the shelf. The current Virginia market is split between a handful of remaining stand-alone carriers and a growing menu of hybrid life/LTC and annuity/LTC designs.
Rather than republish a carrier list that may be outdated by the time you read it, the authoritative real-time list of carriers authorized to sell long-term care insurance in Virginia is the company search maintained by the Bureau of Insurance at scc.virginia.gov. A licensed Virginia agent can pull current illustrations from each carrier still actively quoting in the state.
What Drives Your Virginia LTC Premium
Because nursing-home rates in Northern Virginia run well above the national median while Southside and Southwest Virginia sit closer to it, the daily or monthly benefit you choose is the single largest premium lever for most Virginia applicants. The other major drivers:
- Age and health rating at application
- Benefit period (e.g., 3-year vs. 6-year vs. lifetime pool)
- Inflation protection (compound, simple, or step-rated)
- Elimination period (typically 90 days)
- Marital/partner discount and shared-care riders
- Carrier choice and stand-alone vs. hybrid structure
Use the quote form above to see priced designs side by side from carriers currently writing in Virginia.
Tax Benefits for Virginia Residents
State tax treatment. Virginia has a state income tax. Premium deductibility and any state-specific subtractions for long-term care insurance are governed by Title 58.1 of the Code of Virginia and current guidance from the Virginia Department of Taxation; consult a Virginia tax professional or the Department of Taxation for your filing year.
Federal treatment. For 2025, the IRS allows a federal income-tax deduction of "eligible long-term care premiums" up to the age-based limits in Rev. Proc. 2024-40, Section 3.24:
| Age at End of Tax Year | 2025 Eligible Premium Limit |
|---|---|
| 40 or under | $480 |
| 41 through 50 | $900 |
| 51 through 60 | $1,800 |
| 61 through 70 | $4,810 |
| 71 and older | $6,020 |
Self-employed Virginians and those itemizing medical expenses above the AGI threshold typically benefit most. Benefits paid from a tax-qualified policy are generally received income-tax-free, subject to the per-diem cap.
The Practical Next Step
Because Virginia's Partnership program rewards policies bought before a long-term care need arises — and because the state's youngest applicants get the best health-rating and inflation-protection economics — the fastest useful next step is a side-by-side quote from carriers still writing in Virginia. Use the quote form above to start.
Disclaimer
This page is educational and general in nature, not a solicitation or offer of a specific insurance product, and not tax or legal advice. Long-term care insurance availability, pricing, and underwriting vary by carrier, state, and applicant. For personalized guidance, contact a licensed specialist. For the current list of carriers authorized to sell long-term care insurance in Virginia, consult the Virginia Bureau of Insurance at the State Corporation Commission.
Virginia Long Term Care Insurance FAQs
How much does long term care insurance cost in Virginia?
Premiums in Virginia depend on age at application, health, benefit amount, and inflation protection. Most Virginia residents pay between $1,500 and $4,500 per year for a comprehensive policy, and the cost is locked in when you apply. Applying earlier and in better health typically results in the lowest Virginia LTC insurance rates.
Does Virginia have a Long Term Care Partnership program?
Most states including Virginia participate in the federal/state Long Term Care Partnership program. A Partnership-qualified policy in Virginia lets you protect assets equal to the benefits your policy pays out if you ever need to apply for Medicaid, on top of the usual Medicaid asset limits. Ask your specialist whether a given carrier's policy is Partnership-certified in Virginia.
What does long term care insurance cover in Virginia?
A Virginia long term care policy typically reimburses the cost of care you receive when you cannot perform at least two activities of daily living, or when you have a cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's. Covered care settings generally include home health care, adult daycare, assisted living, memory care, and skilled nursing facilities located in Virginia or anywhere in the U.S.
When should I buy long term care insurance in Virginia?
Most Virginia residents who buy LTC insurance do so in their mid-50s to mid-60s, before rates rise sharply and before health conditions make coverage harder to qualify for. Buying earlier locks in lower premiums for life, while waiting risks higher costs or being declined outright.
Is long term care insurance tax deductible in Virginia?
Yes — premiums for qualified long term care insurance policies are deductible as medical expenses on your federal return, up to IRS age-based limits that are indexed annually. Virginia may offer additional state tax credits or deductions for LTC premiums; your LTC Tree specialist can confirm the current rules that apply to residents of Virginia.
Which carriers offer long term care insurance in Virginia?
LTC Tree is an independent broker and shops every major carrier licensed in Virginia, including Mutual of Omaha, Nationwide, Securian, National Guardian Life, OneAmerica, Thrivent, Lincoln Financial, and others. Each Virginia applicant's situation is different — we run rates across carriers and present the best fit for your age, health, and budget.