Sec. 7. (a) As used in this section, "eligible person" refers to either of the following:
(1) An honorably discharged member of the armed forces.
(2) The spouse or surviving spouse of an honorably discharged member of the armed forces.
(b) An eligible person who has a disability or is destitute is eligible for admission to the home if:
(1) the eligible person has been a resident of Indiana for at least one (1) year immediately preceding application for admission to the home; or
(2) in the case of an eligible person referred to in subsection (a)(1), the eligible person was a resident of Indiana when the eligible person enlisted in the armed forces.
(c) The Indiana department of veterans' affairs shall adopt rules concerning admission to the home.
(d) In adopting rules governing the admission, maintenance, and discharge of members of the home, the Indiana department of veterans' affairs may establish a fund called the veterans' home comfort and welfare fund. The director shall deposit all money collected from the members for the cost of their care and maintenance in the fund. The director shall expend this money in any manner that adds to the comfort and welfare of the members of the institutions.
(e) A part of the veterans' home comfort and welfare fund may be withdrawn and deposited in a special fund called the veterans' home building fund. The veterans' home building fund shall be used for the construction, maintenance, remodeling, or repair of buildings of the home.
(f) Preference under this section may be given to a person who served in an Indiana military organization. Except in cases where the surviving spouse of a veteran marries another veteran, the benefits of this chapter extend only to a surviving spouse and the spouse of a veteran if the contract of marriage was entered into more than five (5) years before the date of death of the veteran. Except as otherwise provided by law, upon the death of a person in the home, money paid to the person or due to the person from a bank, a trust company, a corporation, or an individual becomes an asset of the person's estate and shall be distributed in the manner prescribed by the probate law of the state.
[Pre-2003 Recodification Citation: 10-6-1-7.]
As added by P.L.2-2003, SEC.8. Amended by P.L.99-2007, SEC.37; P.L.21-2008, SEC.8; P.L.113-2010, SEC.74.