VA Programs

Understanding Home Care Benefits for Veterans

The three VA programs that provide or help pay for care at home: what each one covers, who may qualify, and how to tell them apart.

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3 VA programsexplained in plain language

The Programs

Three Sometimes Overlooked VA Home Care Benefits

Two of them arrange care and one pays money toward it. Here is what each covers and who may qualify.

Aid and Attendance Pension

A monthly cash addition to a VA pension for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with everyday activities. The money goes to the family, who may spend it on the care they choose.

Type
Pension enhancement, paid as cash
Administered by
Veterans Benefits Administration

Who may qualify

  • Veterans who need help with activities such as bathing, dressing, eating, or toileting
  • Veterans who are bedridden, or living in a nursing facility
  • Veterans with severe vision impairment
Read the Guide

Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care

A VA health care program that sends a trained aide into the veteran's home. VA purchases the care through community agencies, so this is a service VA arranges rather than money it pays out.

Type
VA health care service, arranged and purchased by VA
Administered by
Veterans Health Administration, through individual VA medical centers

Who may qualify

  • Veterans enrolled in VA health care
  • Veterans who need help with activities of daily living
  • Veterans whose care needs have been assessed by their VA care team
Read the Guide

Veteran-Directed Care

A VA program that hands the veteran a budget and lets them hire and manage their own caregivers, including, in many cases, family members.

Type
Self-directed care program with a managed budget
Administered by
Veterans Health Administration, in partnership with Area Agencies on Aging

Who may qualify

  • Veterans enrolled in VA health care
  • Veterans who need help with daily activities and want to direct their own care
  • Veterans in an area where the program is offered, since availability is not yet nationwide
Read the Guide

Why Families Choose Us

A Free Service, Built Around How You Want to Learn

Our free service lets you learn about veterans benefits in the way that makes sense to you, then search a directory of home care agencies serving your area and choose one yourself. Agencies are listed free of charge, and none of them can pay to appear higher in your results.

They can help your loved one get support at home, in the place they would rather stay.

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Portrait of Don Quante

Don Quante, CLTC, CDP

Founder

  • Certified in Long-Term Care (CLTC)
  • Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP)
  • Author of 3 books (1 Amazon bestseller)

Our Story

Why We Built This

I started this service after seeing how overwhelming and confusing it can be for families trying to care for a loved one, especially when navigating VA benefits that should be helping but often feel impossible to access.

Like so many families, we were trying to do the right thing. We wanted to make sure our loved one was safe, supported, and able to remain at home. But the system made it difficult to understand what was available or where to begin.

That experience led me to create a simpler, more transparent way for families to learn about their options, understand what they may qualify for, and find the home care agencies and accredited representatives near them.

Today, our free service helps families across the country cut through the confusion, work out which programs are worth looking into, and take the next step toward getting the support their loved ones deserve.

Through my work, I’ve had the privilege of helping thousands of families better understand their options and make informed decisions during some of the most important moments of their lives.

Find Out What Your Benefits Can Cover

Search home care agencies near you, free, or answer eight questions to see whether a VA benefit is worth looking into.