To continue our series on payment options for home care, we are going to discuss VA benefits.
Veterans are able to get home care, assisted living, and other long term care services through the VA. Services include daily living tasks, such as dressing, bathing, meal preparation, medication reminders, etc. The VA also offers respite care- support for family caregivers who need some skilled help or need to take a break so they can work, travel, or run errands.
HomeCourt Home Care accepts these VA benefits so veterans can get the help they need and stay in the comfort of their own home.
How do veterans access these services?
There are several requirements that must be met before you are eligible for these services.
You must be signed up for VA health care, and
the VA concludes that you need a specific service to help with personal care or treatment, and
the service must be available in an area near to you.
Other factors will be considered as well.
If you are not currently in the VA health care program, make sure to apply for those benefits first.
If you are enrolled, contact your VA social worker to see if you are eligible for these benefits.
How to get started
Go to the VA website to apply for VA health care (https://www.va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply/). Ask a family member to help you with this process, if needed. You will need to gather some information ahead of time to make the application process smoother. The website above will give you a list of the information needed.
Once you are signed up, you will get assigned a PACT team (Patient Aligned Care Team), which will include a team of your primary care provider, pharmacist, RN care manager, LPN or medical assistant, and a family member or caregiver who can support you.
Once you have seen your VA physician, you will need to request HHA hours and/or Respite hours through Community Based Care. A community-based nurse/case manager will then work with us at HomeCourt to provide hours for home care.
If you have more questions about home care, please call us at (260) 333-1114. We would be happy to answer your questions or direct you to more information at the VA to get you started.