By Norfolk Senior Advisor Care Team · October 4, 2026
- Virginia's licensing rules define respite care as services in an assisted living facility for a temporary period or temporary periods that are regular or intermittent.
- Not every community offers respite stays. Ask early, get the physical exam report within the 30-day window, and get the rate in writing.
- CCC Plus Waiver respite is up to 480 hours per state fiscal year for eligible people. Ask whether any of it can be used for a facility stay.
What is a respite stay in a Virginia assisted living facility?
Virginia's licensing standards define respite care in 22VAC40-73-10 as services provided in an assisted living facility for the maintenance or care of adults who are aged or infirm or who have a disability, for a temporary period or temporary periods that are regular or intermittent. Facilities that offer it are subject to the full assisted living chapter.
In plain terms, a respite stay is a bed, meals and help with daily needs for a limited time, in a licensed community, while the usual caregiver is away or recovering. It is not a separate kind of license. The community decides whether it offers short stays at all.
The phrase "regular or intermittent" means a stay can repeat, for example a week every few months to give a caregiver a scheduled break. Ask each community whether it takes repeat guests, whether returning guests get any priority, and how far ahead it books short stays.
How do you arrange a respite stay at a Hampton Roads assisted living community?
Call early, ask whether the community accepts short stays and whether a room is open for your dates, and ask exactly which admission paperwork it requires. Because the licensing chapter applies to respite, expect requests that resemble any move-in, such as a physician's examination report and a medication list.
The examination under 22VAC40-73-320 must occur in the 30 days before admission, which makes the doctor's calendar the usual bottleneck. Book that appointment as soon as the dates are set. The rules also call for a preliminary plan of care on or within seven days before admission. Ask the community which pieces it requires for a short stay, and whether it needs a Uniform Assessment Instrument.
Tour in person, and bring the questions you would bring for a permanent move. Read our UAI guide so the assessment is familiar, and write down your parent's routines, food preferences, sleep habits and what calms them. Staff meeting a guest for a week need that page more than a long-term resident's file would.
| Step | Timing |
|---|---|
| Call communities, ask if they offer respite and get a written rate | As soon as dates are known |
| Schedule the physician's examination | Inside the 30 days before the stay |
| Send medication list, diet orders and contacts | Before arrival |
| Tour the room and meet the nurse or medication aide | A week or more ahead |
| Pack labeled clothing and familiar items | Day before |
What does a respite stay in Hampton Roads assisted living cost?
We have found no published Hampton Roads or Virginia price for short stays, so ask each community for a written quote. The CareScout 2025 survey's Virginia median of $6,944 a month is for a private one-bedroom on a long-term basis and says nothing about daily or weekly respite rates.
Ask for the daily or weekly rate, any care-level charge, and any one-time fees that apply to a short stay. Ask whether the fee is credited if your parent decides to stay. Medicare does not pay for assisted living, so plan on private pay, and check any long-term care insurance policy for a respite benefit before you book.
Compare against the alternatives for the same days. Non-medical home care in Virginia has a statewide median of about $35 an hour, and adult day health care five days a week has a median of $1,750 a month. Our cost guide has the sources.
How many CCC Plus respite hours can a Virginia family use?
The Commonwealth Coordinated Care Plus (CCC Plus) Waiver covers respite up to 480 hours per state fiscal year, July 1 through June 30, for Medicaid-enrolled people who meet nursing facility level of care and can be served safely at home. Respite can be agency-directed or consumer-directed.
Do the math: 480 hours equals 20 full days of round-the-clock coverage, or 60 eight-hour days. The hours reset each July 1, so a caregiver facing surgery in spring should check with the care coordinator how many hours were already used this fiscal year.
The waiver pays for services at home and does not pay assisted living room and board. Ask the waiver care coordinator whether any hours can apply to a stay in a facility, and do not assume. A screening by a local or hospital team comes first, so it cannot be arranged in a week. See the CCC Plus Waiver guide.
How do you plan respite around a caregiver's surgery or trip in Hampton Roads?
Work backward from the date. Confirm where your parent will stay, schedule the physician's exam inside the 30-day window, line up medication orders, and tour the room. For surgery, plan for recovery time, since the caregiver may be unable to lift or drive for weeks after the stay ends.
Ask the surgeon's office how long you will be limited in lifting, driving and stairs, and book a longer stay or a backup if the answer is uncertain. Check hurricane season if you are traveling between June and November, and ask the community what its storm plan means for a short-term guest. Tell the area agency on aging, Senior Services of Southeastern Virginia at 757-461-9481 or Peninsula Agency on Aging at 757-873-0541, what you are planning, and ask about caregiver support while you are on the phone.
Line up a fallback: an adult day center for the weekdays, an in-home aide for the first week back, a neighbor who has a key and your phone number for emergencies. Write the plan on one page and share it with every sibling. See caregiver burnout and respite and hospital discharge if surgery involves a hospital stay.
How can a respite stay help a Hampton Roads family decide about assisted living?
A short stay shows what daily life in a community looks like for your parent before anyone signs a long-term contract. Watch whether your parent eats, sleeps, joins anything and is treated with patience, then compare what you hear from staff with what your parent says when you pick them up.
Look at the practical parts too: a dated menu posted where residents can see it, a written plan for your parent's care, medication given at the right times, and a call from staff when something changes. Ask the administrator for a debrief and what they would have done differently.
If your parent decides to stay, the long-term admission steps still apply, including a full individualized service plan within 30 days of admission. Browse the assisted living directory. We are paid by communities when a referred family moves in, so ask each community for its respite policy directly.
Frequently asked questions
Does Medicare pay for a respite stay in assisted living?
No. Medicare does not pay for assisted living or long-term custodial care. Plan on private pay unless a long-term care insurance policy or another program covers respite. Ask the community for a written rate before you book, and check any insurance policy first.
Can a parent with dementia take a respite stay?
It depends on the community and the unit. Some assisted living facilities have a special care unit for serious memory loss, and admission to it requires written approval from the resident or a legal representative. Ask whether the unit takes short stays.
How far ahead should I book a respite stay?
As early as you can. The physician's exam must fall inside the 30 days before admission, and short-stay rooms may be limited, especially around holidays. Call several communities first, then schedule the exam once you have confirmed dates.
Do I need a CCC Plus screening before a respite stay?
Only to use CCC Plus Waiver respite hours. A private respite stay needs no waiver. Waiver services need Medicaid enrollment and a screening first, and the waiver pays for services at home, so ask about facility use.
