Veterans who need more care than family or friends can provide often ask us if their VA benefits will help to pay for in-home caregiver services from Dakota Home Care so that, combined with other VA benefits, they can remain in their homes. The simple answer is “Yes,” but qualifications must be met and claims must be filed, and sometimes the process can seem complicated and overwhelming.
Fortunately, there are resources that can assist veterans in filing claims for healthcare, caregiver and other benefits. See the links to Resources at the end of this article. Reading the information compiled here will point you and your family members toward some of the VA resources related to in-home care.
VA Services through Home and Community Based Services
The Veteran-Directed Home & Community Based Service (VD-HCBS) program authorizes a monthly flexible spending budget that, based on assessed needs, enables a “severely disabled” veteran to pay for the services needed to live safely at home. It must be “a service-connected disability,” a disability that is related to active military service. Veterans participating in this program can use the budget to hire the help needed to provide for their personal care or to give support to their family caregivers. North Dakota’s VD-HCBS headquarters is located in the Fargo VA Medical Center at 2101 Elm Street North, Fargo, ND 58102-2417 Directions (Google Maps) Main phone: 701-239-3700; Mental health care: 701-239-3700. Benefits advocates are ready to help assess your needs, give guidance on state and local VA benefits that may differ, and help to file the necessary claims to qualify. There is no charge for this service, and they will come to you.
Aid and Attendance &/or Housebound Allowance
If you receive a VA pension, you &/or a surviving spouse 65 and older may be eligible to receive additional monthly, tax-free, monetary benefits from the VA to help you offset the cost if you:
- Require the help of another person for at least two everyday personal care needs (such as bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, transferring), or
- Are bedridden, or
- Live in a nursing home and are physically or mentally incapacitated, or
- Have poor eyesight (5/200 corrected visual acuity or less in both eyes), or
- Are significantly restricted to your residence because of a permanent disability.
These benefits can be used for in-home care, board and care, an assisted living community, or a private-pay nursing home. For information on how to apply and qualify click Here. Call Dakota Home Care for a free consultation about your in-home care needs and the VA-covered in-home services we offer.
Home Based Primary Care and Skilled Home Health Care
Home Based Primary Care is healthcare services provided in the home to Veterans who have complex healthcare needs and for whom clinic-based care is difficult, and who need team-based in-home support for ongoing diseases and illnesses that affect their health and daily activities. It is also for Veterans who are isolated and do not have a caregiver who can’t transport them. Being home-bound is not required.
This program uses VA-hired providers. A VA doctor supervises a health care team, which provides primary care visits in your home from staff such as a Nurse, Social worker, Rehabilitation therapist, Dietitian, Pharmacist, or Mental Health Professional.
Skilled Home Health Care is for Veterans needing short-term care as they are moving from a hospital or nursing home back to their home, or to provide continuing care to Vets with ongoing specialized needs. Veterans who need skilled services such as: skilled nursing, case management, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, wound care, or IV antibiotics can qualify. Skilled Home Health Care can be used in combination with other Home and Community Based Services. The care is delivered by a community based home health agency like Dakota Home Care that has a contract with the VA. Talk to us about our skilled nursing services.
Home Based Primary Care can be used in combination with other Home and Community Based Services.
Homemaker—Home Health Aide Care
A Homemaker and Home Health Aide is a trained person who can come to a Veteran’s home and help Vets take care of themselves and their daily activities. Aide Care services help Veterans live in their own home and can serve Veterans of any age. Homemakers and Home Health Aides are not nurses, but they are supervised by a registered nurse who will help assess the Veteran’s daily living needs.
The main focus is to help with hands-on care, such as bathing, using the bathroom, eating and getting dressed. During this visit, light homemaker services may be done, such as washing the Veteran’s clothes or bedding or making a small meal.
This program helps Veterans who are isolated or do not have a family caregiver to provide the services needed. Services that may vary by location can be used in combination with other Home and Community Based Services. These services are provided by a trained person (not a nurse or RN) who works for an organization like Dakota Home Care that has an agreement or contract with the VA.
Dakota Home Care has a contract with the VA to provide Homemaker—Home Health Aide and Skilled Nursing services. Meet with your VA Benefits Advocate and a Dakota Home Care Representative to work out a healthcare plan that best meets your financial and in-home care needs. Contact us online or call us at (877) 691-0015 to learn more about all our services.
Resources:
Veteran Directed Home Community Based Services Program – DAV
VA Financial Benefits – Geriatrics and Extended Care
Aid and Attendance Benefit | American Veterans Aid
Skilled Home Health Care – Geriatrics and Extended Care (va.gov)
VA In-Home and Support Services – VA Caregiver Support Program
Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care – Geriatrics and Extended Care (va.gov)
The VA Disability Compensation website contains information about:
- Eligibility and how to apply
- Payment rates
- Special monthly compensation