Many veterans have found a way to stay home and avoid nursing homes with VA Home Care Services.
There are approximately 18 million veterans in the US. While each and every one of these people is a hero of our nation, many are unfortunately ignored by the government and denied the care that they need post-combat. Luckily, there are programs that can help the ex-soldiers that are most in need of care.
The VA Homemaker Home Health Aide Program is one such initiative. This program allows for those with VA disability benefits and coverage to get home care when they are unable to perform daily tasks without a caregiver. Read on to learn about veteran’s home care, how you can get these services for yourself or a loved one, and what the benefits of the program are.
In this article about home care services for veterans:
What Are Veterans Home Care Services?
If a person’s health is deteriorating due to old age or a disability that they received in the service, it is likely that they will reach a point where they need 24/7 assistance to complete daily tasks. These tasks may include eating, dressing, bathing, and more. Veterans Home Care Services is the alternative to sending your loved one to a nursing home when they get to this point.
When you ask for home care services, a caregiver will come to the house in which the receiving veteran lives. In some cases, the caregiver will live with you. This is not usually the case, though- more often than not, this professional nurse will come to stay with your loved one during the daytime and go home at night. Multiple caregivers may take shifts coming to your loved one’s home if having someone there 24/7 is necessary.
This caregiver will be a qualified and licensed health care professional. He or she will be able to assist with everyday tasks, help manage prescription medication, maximize mobility, create meal and nutrition plans, and construct realistic daily schedules so that the veteran that they’re assisting can live a full life.
Caregivers are also trained to note indications of a change in their health. They will inform you immediately if there is a change in their physical well-being or in their mood/mental state. They will monitor and record these changes and keep you in the loop while providing advice.
How Much Do These Services Cost?
One of the many reasons that people choose to get an at-home health aide is that it is less expensive than sending their loved ones to a nursing home. You can expect to pay anywhere between $20-30 per hour if you lack insurance.
The average cost of one year’s worth of home care is $21,480 for a 20-hour care week. While this may sound like a high price, it is significantly less than a nursing home bill that will be about $70,000 annually. At-home care is an especially good way to save money if the veteran you’re assisting is able to get care under the VA Homemaker Home Health Aide Program.
Here one of our VA disability lawyers talks about how SMC (Special Monthly Compensation) works to help you get more money for extra expenses related to your disabling condition every month.
The VA Homemaker Home Health Aide Program
This program is designed for veterans who need help performing everyday activities. It is also for those who feel isolated since the caregiver provides companionship in addition to assistance. If the current caregiver of the veteran is experiencing a burden, the program is also made to provide some relief to them.
While many home care services are focused exclusively on elderly patients, this health aide program is also made for veterans who have gained disabilities as a result of combat. These injuries can be physical (missing limbs, wounds that cause pain, etc) or psychological (PTSD).
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has made this program accessible to all those with a VA disability plan. In order to get this care, you will need to qualify for the program and utilize the coverage offered by the plan.
Who Qualifies for Veterans Home Care Services?
While each application is considered based on the applicant’s individual circumstances, not everyone qualifies for VA disability. There are certain veterans that can access these benefits over others. Qualifying applicants include:
- Purple Heart recipients
- Medal of Honor recipients
- Someone who is currently getting a VA pension
- Those who were discharged early because of a condition sustained in combat
- Former prisoners of war
- People rated as ‘catastrophically disabled’ by the VA
- Those who served in Vietnam between 1/9/62-5/7/75
- Those associated with service in Vietnam who were stationed on Navy/Coast Guard ships
- Those with household incomes below the VA’s National Income thresholds
- Those who served in a Theater of Operations for 5 or more years after being discharged
- Those who served in the Persian Gulf between 8/2/90-11/11/98
There are many other people who apply can qualify, but these are some basic common reasons that people do.
Filing a VA Disability Health Claim
If you or your loved one qualifies for VA disability, it’s time to begin filling out a VA benefits application. Before you begin, make sure to talk to our VA disability attorneys. We’re are familiar with helping disabled American veterans, so we can help applicants on a case-by-case basis.
Make a list of relevant conditions, but don’t rely simply on a bulleted list. The VA Department is interested in hearing each individual’s story, including how the disability came to be and the backstory that led to them serving their country. You will also need to provide strong evidence that you have every condition discussed on your application and let the reader know the ways in which it impacts the daily life of the applicant.
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Once you fill out this form, you will need to send it in for review. Make sure that you get a receipt for your claim to prove that you sent it in when you said you did. This can be as simple as an email confirmation form. If you are accepted, congratulations! You can access all VA disability benefits, including home care.
If you are rejected, you can file for an appeal on the bad VA Benefits ruling. It’s fairly common for qualifying individuals to be rejected for the care that they need, so be persistent, get legal help, and don’t just grit your teeth and bear it. The appeals process is often fruitful and leads to the applicant’s rejection being overruled.
What Are the Benefits of Home Care?
Now that you know how you or a loved one can apply for home care and access its many benefits, you likely are wondering what exactly these benefits are. These services exist to keep your loved one feeling comfortable and independent, but there is a multitude of social benefits as well.
Here one of our VA disability lawyers goes over the questions Woods and Woods, The Veteran’s Firm, is often asked about veterans’ disability claims and appeals.
Increased Comfort and Security
Depression is extremely prevalent among older populations, and those with post-combat disabilities often also experience other mental health issues unrelated to age. One of the main ways you can combat depression for yourself or a loved one is by allowing them to age in the comfort of their own home. This provides them with a familiar environment in which they can relax and be at peace.
You may worry about accessibility in your home, but the VA helps qualifying veterans get access to mobility aids in addition to caregivers. Consult with your representative about getting used to medical equipment such as wheelchairs, wheelchair ramps, bath chairs, and canes.
Depending on the veteran’s level of disability, there are also funds available to renovate your home to better accommodate his or her disability.
Those who are able to age at home often feel more secure than their nursing-home-bound counterparts. They know and love their environment and they have considerably more control over it than they would in a facility. Even if it’s simply hanging paintings that they like or having furniture moved around, this freedom allows them a measure of independence and individuality.
Greater Independence at Home for Veterans
Speaking of independence, winning a VA disability case and gaining access to home care is the first step towards independence.
Veterans who stay in nursing homes are bound by the schedules and regulations of those around them. This makes sense when you consider the vast amount of people who live in these facilities. However, it also means that you or your loved one will be unable to choose when to perform daily activities.
Mealtimes and socialization activities are scheduled and often supervised. There are limited visiting hours, which stops them from interacting with friends and family as often as they can. This can be painful for veterans who want to be with their loved ones regularly.
Home care is far less restrictive in that the caregiver tailors the veteran’s schedule to their independent needs. Family and friends are always able to come and visit as well.
Here one of our VA disability lawyers goes over the questions Woods and Woods, The Veteran’s Firm, is often asked about veterans’ disability claims and appeals.
More Time With Family
Because of the lack of limited visiting hours, elderly and disabled people who live at home have more opportunities to see their loved ones. Since over 25% of people over 65 are considered to be socially isolated and experience loneliness, it’s critical that you do all you can to combat this pain in your beloved veteran.
Home care is a great way to ensure that they won’t become part of a statistic because they do not live in a place where they struggle to see family. While loneliness- the feeling of being alone- can’t be 100% prevented, its prevalence can be minimized by allowing the individual in question to sustain stronger social connections.
Stronger Relationships With Caregivers
Speaking of strong connections, those who receive home care tend to develop strong relationships with caregivers. While nursing home doctors serve as knowledgeable assistants and sources of medical advice and attention, they don’t serve as true companions to those who live in the facility. There are so many people in assisted living homes that this isn’t even possible.
At-home caregivers are companions just as much as they are medical assistants. They play games with the veterans that they are helping, talk with them on a deep and personal level, and generally spend time getting to know them in a way that a nursing home worker would not. This new connection serves to stop feelings of isolation among senior veterans and provides them with someone to talk to.
The fact that the caregiver and the patient become close is also beneficial in that they know how to best care for your aging veteran. They can tailor activities to be things that they will like and set up 100% personalized, individualized schedules that work for them. This means that your loved one will be overall more comfortable in their daily life since their unique needs will always be met.
Get the Care You Need Today
While there are many options for giving veterans the care they need, the VA Homemaker Home Health Aide Program is a great choice. Home care services like these are both easy to access and comfortable for veterans who need one-on-one attention. To get coverage for your or a loved one’s transition to full-time home care, you will want to file a disability claim and get money for the hero in question to get assistance.
At Woods and Woods, the Veteran’s Firm, we’ve helped thousands of veterans with their VA disability applications and appeals.
Call us today to discuss your VA disability appeal. The call is free and we won’t charge you a single fee until we win your case. You can look for a VA disability attorney near you or call us and join the thousands of veterans living off of VA disability thanks to Woods and Woods.
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No, but if you are just starting to apply for VA disability, the statistics show you’ll do better if you get help from a VA disability lawyer. We can answer your questions for free and we won’t charge you a dime unless we win your case.
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