Does the veteran ever have to reimburse the VA for money he received for long term care?

No he does not pay the VA. Only Medicaid does estate recovery.

I agrree with pamstegman, only medicaid has the asset recovery program which would subject the long-term care recipient's asset to be taken after his/her demise. In the case of VA, the veterans are not required to pay the VA, as stated in infolongtermcare.org, long-term care services should be accessible to veterans as long as they are illegible and they qualified for long-term care benefits through the US department of veterans affair.