Using VA Benefits for Home Health Care

Veterans Affairs has a wide range of benefits for the men and women who served our country that are available long after your term of enlistment ends. One such benefit, that many may not even be aware of, is access to in-home health care for senior veterans. This benefit is available to anyone as long as they qualify for VA services. One can take advantage of this amazing benefit, even if they’ve never seen a VA doctor, or even signed up for VA healthcare before. All one has to do is sign up and then they can start getting their home care paid for by the VA.

If you or a loved one were previously in the military, and the effects of old age have made it more difficult to get around day to day and manage the daily chores and tasks of living and keeping up a house, you may have considered assistance. Many older adults are reluctant to give up the sense of independence that comes with their own homes, or find it difficult to entertain the idea of leaving a place they’ve lived at for most or all of their adult lives. The answer to this is in-home health care.

You may be curious as to what kind of long term care services the VA offers to sick and/or disabled veterans, and they include:

• 24/7 nursing and medical care
• Physical therapy and rehabilitation services
• Help with necessary daily tasks, such as bathing and hygiene, dressing, shopping, making meals, transportation, and taking prescribed medication
• Comfort and palliative care, and help with managing pain, chronic or otherwise
• Temporary support to relieve or fill in for existing caregivers

This care can be administered by the VA or by a state or privately run provider, as long as it’s been previously inspected and approved by the VA. Care can be provided in a facility, or even in the veteran’s own home or residence.

To access the requirements, one must follow several steps. First, you have to be signed up with the VA health care system. If you’ve used it before, obviously this step will be completed already. Next, the VA must determine that you need a specific service, i.e., home care, to help with ongoing treatment or personal care. This will involve your doctor making the recommendation. Other considerations involve your insurance coverage and any service-connected disability status.

If you’re signed up for VA health care, some services may be completely covered under your health benefits. For some services, a copay may apply.

Senior Helpers is one such service that has been inspected and approved by the VA. As a company, we would be more than happy to assist you or your loved one with the application process of contacting your VA doctor and requesting services, or signing up for the VA healthcare system if you’ve never had occasion to access the system before now. You can even specifically request that Senior Helpers be your care provider once you’re signed up! Simply call our office at 559-224-5678 to start the process.