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CCRC vs. Standalone Assisted Living

A Continuing Care Retirement Community keeps a couple together across care levels. A standalone community is usually simpler and less expensive to enter.

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Home›Comparisons›CCRC vs. Standalone Assisted Living
Short answer

Several Triangle campuses -- Springmoor and The Cardinal at North Hills in Raleigh, Glenaire and Searstone in Cary, Galloway Ridge at Fearrington in Pittsboro -- operate as Life Plan Communities (CCRCs), typically requiring an entry fee plus a monthly fee in exchange for guaranteed access to higher care levels later. Standalone assisted living has no entry fee and is simpler and less expensive to enter, but does not guarantee a bed at a higher care level if needs change.

Ask about entry-fee refundability directly

CCRC entry-fee structures vary by community and are not standardized by the state -- some refund a declining percentage over time, others refund a fixed percentage regardless of length of stay. Get the specific refund schedule in writing before signing anything.

Questions families ask

Is there a published average cost for memory care in North Carolina?

No. There is no published statewide or Raleigh-metro memory care cost median from CareScout or any other primary source -- CareScout's Cost of Care Survey covers assisted living, nursing home (semi-private and private), and home care, but does not break out a separate memory care figure. Families should not rely on any specific memory care dollar figure found online without verifying its source, and should instead request current, written memory-care rate quotes directly from individual communities.

What is VA Aid & Attendance and how much can a wartime veteran in Raleigh receive?

VA Aid & Attendance is an add-on allowance that raises a qualifying wartime veteran's VA pension rather than a separate benefit. For a veteran with no dependents, the 2025-2026 Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) with Aid & Attendance is $29,093 per year, or about $2,424 per month, effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. This is a federal benefit set nationally and does not vary based on living in Raleigh or anywhere else in North Carolina.

What VA Aid & Attendance rate applies to a surviving spouse of a veteran?

A surviving spouse with no dependent children who qualifies for Aid & Attendance under the VA Survivors Pension program can receive a Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) of $18,697 per year, or about $1,558 per month, effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. This rate is lower than the veteran's own Aid & Attendance rate and is subject to the same net worth and income limits.

What is the net worth limit for VA pension and Aid & Attendance eligibility?

As of December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026, the VA's combined net worth and annual income limit for pension eligibility (including Aid & Attendance) is $163,699. This figure combines countable assets and annual income and is used to determine whether a veteran or surviving spouse qualifies for the underlying VA Improved Pension before any Aid & Attendance add-on is calculated.

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