Armed Forces News

At the request of veterans, caregivers and veterans’ advocates, VA has temporarily halted its practice of discharging or decreasing comprehensive caregivers. The agency announced the change after receiving complaints about uneven and “inconsistent” application of the eligibility requirements for these caregivers, who provide eligible veterans and families with certain assistance they need. Under VA’s Caregiver Support Program, more than 38,000 veterans have received help from these providers since 2011. Eligible veterans and families can receive monthly stipends ranging from $600 to $2,600, depending upon the services they need and their geographic locations.

VA will conduct a review of the program while the moratorium is in effect.
“It is essential that we get this right. This affects one of our most vulnerable veteran populations and we need to make sure we have consistency on how we process and evaluate benefit applications across VA,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.