If your father, mother, spouse or loved one served in the military and now needs help safely living at home, you may be asking an important question:
Does the VA pay for someone to help a Veteran at home?
For eligible Veterans, the answer may be yes.
The Department of Veterans Affairs offers Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care, a program that can provide eligible Veterans with authorized assistance in their homes.
For families in Haralson County, Bremen, Buchanan, Tallapoosa, Waco and surrounding West Georgia communities, this may provide an alternative to trying to manage increasing personal-care needs alone.
Here’s what families should know before getting started.
What VA Program Pays for Home Care?
One program families should specifically ask about is VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care, sometimes abbreviated H/HHA.
The program is intended for Veterans who need personal-care services and assistance with activities of daily living.
It can help eligible Veterans continue living at home rather than relying exclusively on family members for everyday assistance or potentially moving into a higher level of care before it becomes necessary.
VA indicates that these services can also be used alongside other Home and Community Based Services.
What Can a VA Home Health Aide Help With?
The exact services a Veteran receives are based on assessed needs and authorization.
Depending on those needs, assistance may include everyday activities such as:
- Bathing
- Getting dressed
- Personal grooming
- Using the bathroom
- Eating
- Moving from one place to another
- Grocery shopping
- Other authorized personal-care needs
For families, these everyday activities are important.
A Veteran does not necessarily need help with everything before the family starts asking about home-care options.
Perhaps your father can still prepare breakfast but can no longer safely get into the shower alone.
Maybe your mother can walk around her home but needs assistance dressing and completing personal hygiene.
Perhaps your spouse has experienced a decline and now requires more hands-on assistance than you can safely provide without support.
Those are the kinds of functional changes worth discussing with the Veteran’s VA health care team.
Who Qualifies for VA Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care?
Eligibility is individualized.
VA states that enrolled Veterans may qualify for Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care when they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria for the service and the service is available in their location.
That means families should not assume every Veteran automatically receives home-care hours simply because they served in the military.
The Veteran’s actual care needs matter.
How Do I Ask the VA to Pay for Home Care?
One of the most important steps is using the correct terminology when talking with the Veteran’s VA health care team.
Instead of only saying:
“My dad needs somebody to sit with him.”
Explain specifically what has changed.
For example:
“My father is having difficulty bathing and dressing independently, and we would like to know whether he can be evaluated for VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide services.”
That communicates both the Veteran’s functional problem and the specific VA service you want to discuss.
Families can speak with the Veteran’s VA health care team or social worker about home and community-based care options.
Can I Hire Someone and Send the Bill to the VA?
Families should not assume that VA will reimburse independently arranged routine home care.
VA Community Care generally requires VA approval before eligible non-emergency community care is received.
If you want VA to cover the Veteran’s care, work through the appropriate VA authorization and referral process before beginning services that you expect VA to pay for.
If your family needs immediate assistance while the VA process is underway, you can separately ask a home-care agency about private-pay options, but private-pay services should not be represented as VA-authorized services unless an applicable VA authorization has actually been issued.
What Is VA Community Care Network (CCN)?
VA uses the Community Care Network, or CCN, to connect eligible Veterans with community providers when authorized community care is appropriate.
Georgia is located in CCN Region 3.
Region 3 is administered by Optum on behalf of VA.
For Veterans and families, however, this does not mean you should simply call an outside provider and assume the service is covered.
VA determines applicable community-care eligibility and authorization.
Can We Request a Preferred Home Care Agency?
If your family already knows which home-care provider you would prefer, tell the Veteran’s VA health care team.
You can ask whether your preferred provider participates in the applicable VA network or can be considered when the Veteran’s authorized care is coordinated.
Provider preference does not guarantee placement with a particular agency because VA authorization, network participation and other requirements still apply.
However, families should not be afraid to communicate their preference.
What Should I Tell the VA About My Parent’s Needs?
Before calling, write down what your loved one struggles with during a typical day.
Consider:
- Can the Veteran bathe safely without assistance?
- Can the Veteran dress independently?
- Is toileting becoming difficult?
- Does the Veteran need help transferring?
- Has the Veteran fallen recently?
- Does the Veteran need assistance walking?
- Is memory loss affecting safety?
- Is the spouse or family caregiver becoming overwhelmed?
- Has there been a recent hospitalization?
- Has the Veteran’s ability to live independently changed?
Specific examples are much more useful than simply saying that the Veteran is “getting older.”
Describe the Veteran’s current situation accurately and completely.
What If I’m Already Taking Care of My Veteran Parent?
Many families don’t begin researching VA home care until a spouse, son or daughter is already providing substantial assistance.
If that describes your family, tell the Veteran’s VA social worker.
VA has multiple caregiver and home/community-based programs, and they are not all the same.
For example, Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care involves services provided through an applicable home-care organization.
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is a separate VA program with its own eligibility requirements.
Veteran-Directed Care is another separate program that may allow eligible Veterans in participating locations to have greater control over a budget and potentially hire workers, including certain family members.
Do not assume these programs are interchangeable.
Ask the Veteran’s VA social worker which available program best fits the Veteran’s needs and circumstances.
VA Home Care in Bremen, Buchanan and Tallapoosa
Families throughout Haralson County may be searching for care differently.
One person may Google:
“VA home care Bremen GA.”
Another may search:
“Does VA pay for caregivers in Buchanan?”
Someone in Tallapoosa may simply search:
“Help taking care of elderly Veteran at home.”
The underlying problem is often the same: a Veteran wants to remain at home, but everyday activities are becoming harder to manage safely.
If this is happening in your family, you do not have to wait until a crisis or nursing-home placement becomes the only apparent option before asking about available VA services.
Looking for Veteran Home Care in Haralson County, Georgia?
Serenity Care & Compassion provides home-care services for Veterans and families in Haralson County and surrounding Georgia communities.
If your Veteran has not yet been approved for home-care services, ask the Veteran’s VA health care team or social worker about an evaluation for Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care.
If your Veteran already has a VA Community Care referral or authorization for home care, contact Serenity Care & Compassion to discuss the Veteran’s care needs and the next steps for determining whether our agency can provide the authorized services.
Ready to find out what comes next? Contact Serenity Care & Compassion today to discuss VA home care in Haralson County, Georgia.
VA eligibility, clinical determinations, referrals, authorizations, service availability and authorized hours are determined by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Contacting Serenity Care & Compassion does not guarantee VA eligibility, authorization or payment.
Suggested FAQ Schema
Does the VA pay for home care in Haralson County, Georgia?
Eligible Veterans may receive VA-authorized home-care services, including Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care, when they meet applicable community-care and clinical requirements and the service is available.
What can a VA home health aide help a Veteran with?
Depending on assessed needs and authorization, assistance may include activities such as bathing, dressing, grooming, eating, toileting, mobility and grocery shopping.
How do I get VA home care for my elderly parent?
Speak with the Veteran’s VA health care team or social worker, describe the Veteran’s functional limitations and ask whether the Veteran can be evaluated for Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care.
Can I choose the home care agency for my Veteran parent?
Families can communicate a preferred provider to the VA and ask whether the agency can be considered. VA authorization, network participation and other requirements still apply.
Is VA Community Care the same as VA Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care?
No. Community Care is the broader mechanism through which eligible Veterans may receive authorized care from community providers. Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care is a specific type of home and community-based service.
Can the VA pay me to take care of my Veteran parent?
Do not assume Homemaker/Home Health Aide Care directly pays a family member. VA has separate programs, including PCAFC and Veteran-Directed Care, with different eligibility and availability requirements. Ask a VA social worker which program may apply.
Does VA home care serve Veterans in Bremen, Buchanan and Tallapoosa?
Veterans in these Haralson County communities can ask their VA health care team about Homemaker/Home Health Aide services. Eligibility and service availability are determined by VA.