By Dorothy Meindok
The Post Newspaper Veterans Consultant
Every initiative has unsung heroes and when it comes to our disabled veterans, it’s no different. They are the ones that live double lives, often handling a full-time job and coming home to another. They are the Caregivers. For most of them the work never stops. The fact is caregivers need care, too.
Caregivers wear many hats: husband, wife, significant other, brother, sister, secretary, chef, nurse, accountant, psychologist, healthcare and legal advocate, mom, dad, best friend. Many titles, each with an endless list as to their duties which they fill readily with love and a tireless spirit. They are often referred to by family and friends, who notice them, as “Saint”.
Nonprofit organizations such as the Semper Fi, America’s Fund and Gary Sinise Foundation began years ago offering retreats for these angels and supportive programs to help build community awareness, and connective environments for caregivers across the nation. Their programs include education and tools which focus on getting these women and men together to build peer support networks for a job that often goes unnoticed or gets taken for granted by society.
Most recently, the Veterans Administration has jumped on board recognizing caregivers of our most catastrophically injured veterans, expanding services and putting tax dollars to good use in supporting them. Historically, the VA has always had a program called Aid and Attendance to help with additional care and expenses for qualifying disabled veterans supplying outside healthcare aid. However, two issues often stood in the way: one was that many veterans were not exactly open to having strangers they could not choose, didn’t know or trust enter the sacred space of their homes. The other was qualifying for that level of care was an onerous and difficult process, at best. Meeting the requirements often meant the veteran was completely housebound and near death before approvals for those benefits were rendered; This often meant that by the time anyone reached out to assist, the caregiver was burned out and exhausted after years of trying to manage everything all on their own. It was too little, too late and the destruction was a greatly reduced quality of life, not only for the veteran but also for the one most dedicated to caring for that veteran. The added red tape in the process of approval created another list “to do” on the already long “to do” list for caregivers, and the available help was not known to or easily understood by most VA employees to help answer questions or navigate the process.
Caregiver reform was needed and today that is in process via VA’s PCAFC (Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers).
Administratively, there has been great improvement although more work needs to be done. It has kinks to be worked out such as training deficiencies on interpretation of the laws surrounding approval that lead to erroneous administrative denials. To help, advocates from veterans service organizations and community partners are stepping up to assist caregivers and the VA during the applications and delivery process. Also, the Veterans Health Administration has formed a league of VHA Caregiver Coordinators, and a dedicated VA Caregiver Support Line has been established to get the job done.
In response to veterans and caregivers about the concerns of dignity and privacy, the VA has reshaped how that care is delivered and by whom, simply by recognizing that a veteran has the right choose their caregiver, if that person meets the requirements under the law, and that person may be compensated and supported for it. Some of the expanded benefits for approved caregivers, now include:
- A monthly stipend (paid directly to the caregiver.)
- Access to health care insurance through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), if the caregiver does not already have health insurance.
- Mental health counseling.
- Certain beneficiary travel benefits when traveling with the Veteran to appointments.
- At least 30 days of respite care per year, for the Veteran. Respite is short term relief for someone else to care for the Veteran while the caregiver takes a break.
These changes in the caregiver program result from the expansion of the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Improvements and Amendments Under the VA MISSION Act of 2018.
To learn more, apply or support visit: https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/support_benefits.asp where you will find all of the details or if you prefer peaking to someone over reading online you may call VHA’s Caregiver Support Program (CSP) Teams/Caregiver Support Coordinators. You’ll find their direct contact information at https://www.caregiver.va.gov/support/New_CSC_Page.asp . or Caregivers can contact the Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 (Toll Free Monday– Friday 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST).
Another program provided by VA’s Caregiver Support Program that is open to all caregivers assisting disabled veterans is the PGCSS (Program of General Caregiver Support Services). I’ll cover that next week; help explain the differences between the two programs and provide further resources to help these angels help our heroes.
Be well and God Bless.
Dorothy Meindok is The Post Newspaper’s Veterans Consultant. Ms. Meindok served her nation in the United States Navy and is currently a practicing lawyer advocating for our nation’s veterans. Her column appears on Sundays.
