Veteran caregivers hope for financial boost

Much has been spoken and written about in recent months about military and veteran caregivers, and the responsibilities they are charged with.

According to an article in the RAND Review, they provide services worth billions of dollars each year. Those services can cost the caregivers financial and emotional costs, and yet in many cases they do not receive recognition, yet alone financial compensation for their efforts.

In the article, written by RAND staffer Doug Irving, it was estimated that as many as 105 million Americans are currently providing care for someone. Of some interest, many of those individuals do not consider themselves caregivers. They are merely doing what family and friends do to help others. If the caregivers were paid nursing assistants, the salaries would be in the billions of dollars each year. If they were nurses, doing detailed medical work, the cost would come up to close to trillions of dollars.

A large number of the types of caregiving for veterans include helping those who have traumatic brain injuries. Other areas of care include individuals with PTSD, suffering from memory loss and administering oxygen. Caregivers also often find themselves having to fill out reams of paperwork, taking care of finances and other administrative duties.

I won’t detail the exact percentages of men vs. women who provide care to service members and veterans, but women are slightly in the majority, more so when it comes to caring for those over the age of 60.

Now Congress has taken notice and is passing legislation to do something about helping caretakers. A wide-ranging veterans policy bill that would bolster home caregiver programs was recently approved by the House.

“For nearly the entire 118th Congress, the House and Senate committees on Veterans Affairs have worked together to develop a bipartisan package of common-sense proposals,” House Veterans Affairs Committee Chairman Mike Bost, R-Ill., said.

The Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act would increase the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) share of covering home nursing care from 65 percent to 100 percent of costs, among other provisions. The changes have long been sought by caregivers and advocates who feel veterans should be able to live out their final days at home if they choose.

The bill must still be approved by the Senate before heading to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature, and must be approved before the end of this Congressional session in January. Otherwise, the legislative process would need to start from scratch. Letters and calls to local senators might help move the bill along.