Summarization of events written by the Veteran X Team.
VA must replace the current eligibility regulations and create new standards that are clear, consistent and equitable, they say. VA Secretary Denis McDonough has halted all dismissals from the program and promised a full review in coming months. Currently, a full-time caregiver tending to a veteran who is “unable to self-sustain in the community” can receive the full monthly stipend, while a caretaker for a vet with lesser but still life-altering limitations can receive a partial payment. “Unless VA prioritizes getting veterans and caregivers into the program and not out of it, the problems will persist,” said Jim Marszalek, national service director for Disabled American Veterans. VA Assistant Under Secretary for Health Beth Taylor says the VA Caregiver Support Program has become unpredictable, stressful and dehumanizing. “We will get this right,” she says. The only way to do that may be “to start over” instead of looking for partial fixes, an advocate says.
Summarization of events written by the Veteran X Team.
Original article:
VA caregiver program needs total overhaul as problems mount, advocates say
By Leo Shane III
Steve Schwab, from left, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation; Caira Benson, a caregiver for an injured post-9/11 Army veteran; Jim Marszalek, national service director for Disabled American Veterans; and Andrea Sawyer, advocacy navigator for the Quality of Life Foundation testify at a Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing on the VA’s caregiver support program. (Leo Shane III/Staff)
Veterans Affairs’ caregiver support programs need a significant overhaul to correct deep-seated flaws within current operations, veterans advocates told lawmakers Wednesday.
A day after department leaders promised to halt all program dismissals amid criticism of new eligibility rules, a coalition of caregiver groups testified before the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee that they are optimistic that real changes are on the way, but emphasized it will require more than just new rules and regulations.
“Unless VA prioritizes getting veterans and caregivers into the program and not out of it, the problems will persist,” said Jim Marszalek, national service director for Disabled American Veterans.
“VA must replace the current eligibility regulations and create new standards that are clear, consistent and equitable. And VA must provide detailed explanations on how standards will be measured and applied in each decision notification that is sent to veterans and caregivers.”
Over the past six months, officials with the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers have been reviewing “legacy” participants — individuals admitted before October 2020 — to ensure they meet new eligibility criteria written three years ago.
The department had estimated that as many as one-third of the nearly 20,000 legacy participants could be dropped from the program. But on Tuesday, VA Secretary Denis McDonough acknowledged that number was “much higher” than anticipated, with thousands more families on track to lose access to monthly caregiver stipends.
In light of those elevated rejection rates, McDonough halted all dismissals from the program and promised a full review in coming months.
Currently, a full-time caregiver tending to a veteran who is “unable to self-sustain in the community” can receive the full monthly stipend, while a caretaker for a vet with lesser but still life-altering limitations can receive a partial payment.
The totals vary based on where veterans live, but generally hover around $3,000 a month for the full Level 2 stipend and $1,800 for the partial Level 1 stipend.
Advocates have said for months that new standards put in place by officials are overly confusing and restricting, labeling veterans with severe service injuries as self-sufficient even though they require around-the-clock caregiver support.
Caira Benson, a full-time caregiver to her veteran husband, Eric, said that her family has been dropped and added from the program multiple times in recent years, despite Eric’s brain injuries only worsening.
“Congress created this program to assist caregivers like me whose spouses need substantial care,” she told lawmakers. “It should have been a blessing. However, the program has become unpredictable, stressful and, frankly, dehumanizing.”
VA Assistant Under Secretary for Health Beth Taylor promised improvements in the future. She said officials plan to meet with advocates next month to start reviewing eligibility rules, with an eye towards changing them in the future.
“You have our commitment to guide this support program to be the preeminent program in the industry on caregiving,” she said.
Colleen Richardson, executive director of the VA Caregiver Support Program, acknowledged the grief families are experiencing because of the changes and promised “we will get this right.”
Sourced from: https://www.militarytimes.com/veterans/2022/03/23/va-caregiver-program-needs-total-overhaul-as-problems-mount-advocates-say/
Information vetted by the Veteran X Team.
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