Good news! The VA has several programs designed to assist elderly and/or disabled veterans who want to stay at home for as long as possible. Listed below are some of these programs. They each have different eligibility tests regarding income and assets, minimum age, level of disability, service-connected rating, and geography. If you are interested in any specific program, talk to the outpatient social worker at the VA clinic that you use.
1. Three hours of home health aides per week.
2. Skilled care at home.
3. Adult Day Health – the VA has contracts with many local adult day health programs.
4. TeleHealth (a computer in your home permits a remote nurse to monitor basic health indicators on a daily basis).
5. Home-Based Primary Care. For the truly home-bound, veterans can receive home visits from a team consisting of the PCP, occupational therapist, physical therapist, social worker, and more.
6. Veterans Independence Plus Program (VIPP) provides a budget for a veteran to bring in the care he needs to stay at home, including home health aides, grocery delivery, snow shoveling, visiting nurses, etc.
7. Respite care, meaning that the caregiver can take a break while the veteran stays at the Brockton Community Living Center for 9, 16, 23, or 30 days.
These programs are available only to the veteran. If the spouse or widow of a veteran needs help staying at home, she should look into Aid & Attendance. If you would like further help exploring these programs or other resources to help you stay at home for as long as possible, please contact our office to schedule a Planning Session.