As of March 22, 2022, VA is reviewing and examining the current Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) eligibility criteria. During this time, here’s what Family Caregivers of Legacy Participants and Legacy Applicants can expect:
- VA will continue to complete transitional reassessments of legacy participants, legacy applicants, and their family caregivers. Any family caregiver eligible for an increase in caregiver benefits will receive them. Legacy participants, legacy applicants and their family caregivers may decline the reassessment; however, no increase in benefits can be provided without the completion of a reassessment.
- VA will not discharge or decrease any support to legacy participants, legacy applicants and their family caregivers, based on reassessment, to include monthly stipends paid to primary family caregivers before the current eligibility criteria are examined.
- While VA conducts a review and examination of the current PCAFC eligibility criteria, legacy participants, legacy applicants and their family caregivers will remain enrolled in PCAFC and continue to receive support and services under PCAFC, unless revoked or discharged for a reason unrelated to reassessment. Please see the Revocation and Discharge Fact Sheet (va.gov) for additional information.
- VA will consider making changes to the current PCAFC eligibility criteria, if necessary.
VA continues to develop additional information for legacy participants, legacy applicants and their family caregivers.
Also, VA is working diligently to develop additional information for Veterans and family caregivers enrolled in PCAFC on or after October 1, 2020, regarding their reassessments and discharges.
Review and appeal options for PCAFC remain the same: PCAFC decisions – options for further review and appeal – VA Caregiver Support Program.
Please visit the Caregiver Support Program (CSP) website or contact your local CSP team using the VA Caregiver Support Program Team Locator for updates.
Need to talk?
VA is here to support you. If you or someone you know are experiencing thoughts of death or suicide, it’s important you talk to someone right away. The Veterans Crisis Line offers free, confidential support, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Please call 1-800-273-8255 and press 1 or text 838255.
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Many of our veterans are too old, too sick. Some can not hear are blind and many other health problems. They wantthem to navigate my healthy vet? The best advocate is a close family member. It took 50 years for the VA to finally believe my husband he did 3 tours in Vietnam. Lots of paper work on my part and perseverance. Most of them just give up and die. When the program began one of the team members informed me they really were not ready. He was denied. Those that are making decisions need to hear the voices . So many vets in rural states are overlooked. Let those in making decisions get personal a costly nursing home or be with those who love u and care for u.
So here’s the root problem for all family and veteran programs: Congress creates the program, tells the VA to make up the rules, and calls it a day. “Look at the wonderful program we created for our vets!!” Then to save “taxpayer money” they fund the program at a tiny fraction of what it would require. The VA, who knows exactly what the drill is, makes the rules so convoluted that nearly all the applicants die waiting or quit trying. If, like the War on Terror vets, we don’t die fast enough, they start moving the goalposts as a “reform.” Ask yourself: The caregiver program is a *compensation* program for caregivers. Why is it being run by the Medical branch of the VA instead of the Compensation and Pension branch? Why do we need a whole different rating system when one already exists?
Ironically, budgets, national debt, trade deficits government shutdowns, the Social Security Trust Fund, debt ceilings, and so forth have been lies and smokescreens for forty years. The messy reality is that *Congress and our banking system make money from thin air.* The number that matters is the rate of change in the money supply, which is called the “interest rate.” Money too cheap = inflation. Too expensive = depression. Asleep yet? Good, that’s what they want. It’s not that they don’t have, or can’t make, money for vets or their caregivers (the post office or ballot boxes, etc.) Look at the stimulus checks. They would just rather spend the money buying other votes. Remember the “Bonus Army!”
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is for Veterans that are rated at a %70 Compensation Disability or more and another program is the Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGSCC) for all other Veterans and their Caregivers…This program offers a 6 week online course for educational purposes…The Caregiver Support Line telephone number is (855) 260-3274…also, anyone can visit http://www.caregiver.va.gov for information…Those that qualify for a monthly stipend under the PCAFC are for veterans that served on or before September 11, 2001 or on or before May 7th, 1975…All other eras will qualify on October 1, 2022, according to the Mission Act of 2018…There are 2 levels of stipend payments for those veterans who suffered from a serious injury/illnes while serving in active duty and monthly payments are issued through the VHA Office Of Community Care (VHA OCC)…(877)733-7927 M-F 8a-8p EST…The Elizabeth Dole Foundation may provide some info for qualifying veterans as well…there are facts sheets that can provide accurate information from the VA website. You can also visit…www.caregiver.va.gov/support/New
My girlfriend of over 30 years has been taking care of me 24/7 — I am 100% Service-connected disabled – with Parkinson’s disease. Can she get caregiver status and get paid?
All caregivers should received a yearly increase, when the cost of living go up every year. Attending to a family member can be daunting task every day. The VA really should listen to all servicemen, Vietnam, Iraq, Camp Lejune, etc. VA we family members need help the cost of living among other things are so expensive, please HELP the family members who serve as caregivers.
Do anyone know when the VA will be opening the respite care for the care giver? My dad is covered at 100% as of last year I had to move him in with me because he can’t live on his own and all they tell me is it’s closed because of Covid. I need some time for myself. When I signed up to be his care giver they told me I would have respite care when I needed it. It’s been 9 months and I haven’t had a day to myself.
I was approved for respite about a year ago and have had it renewed this year. The VA allows 30 6-hr “days” of respite per year. I’ve used it multiple times, and yes, it’s great to have. Do some checking with different departments and push for it to get the approval you need. I don’t recall which department approved it. It may have been Care in the Community or possibly Social Services.
I quit my job to become the primary caregiver for my husband. But because of his dates of service, we are not eligible for caregiver assistance (that other disability recipient receive regularly). His disability is due to service related injuries. We should be afforded the benefits of caregiver services regardless of his dates of service.
I am 100% disable permanent total, approved SSDI cannot work, have caregiver (Legacy) for 6 years, I applied to make my secondary caregiver to be my primary, they told me to apply for a new program, during the reassessment I was told that I don’t need any care for more than six month, I am disapproved, but wife who is taken care of me not receiving any stipend, and also quit the job to take care of me. The VA caregiver program is not for legacy veteran.
That is the new scam.
They say Short Term condition, not expected to last 6 months, and then toss you fron the program.
My disabilities have existed since 10/2008 and have only worsened. I wondered what they were going to do and BOOM. 6 months came into the picture, even though the issues have been constant for 14 years.
The VA will find a way to refuse or reduce if they are directed to.
The question is, who directed them to use the 6 month clause for denisl?
I called to apply for the caregiver program for my husband who was a Vietnam Veteran in first part of October when it first opened for veterans of this era.I was told I did not qualify to call back in November.On Nov. 5th I called the caseworker sent me the link I completed it and submitted it.Called back to make sure they received it.Everyone in my Support Group was able to apply in October.We were told it would take 90 days. By Feb 5th 2021 everything was complete, I was told my husband was a good candidate for the program.I continued to call they had no updates in Feb or March or April.Unfortunaty my husband passed away on April 13.I called the 2 programs he was in The VA In House Prog. Who did a great job and I called the Caregiver Program who had been working on my case for 5 months.I called on the 13 of April and in 6 days I received a certified letter saying we had been denied reason was there does not appear to be any sustained functional impairment that rises to the level that qualifies you or your caregiver for PCAFC.My husband had dementia, lung cancer, heart problems and many other problems, he wS 100% unemployable. I am appealing, 2x, have been denied 2x, and I plan to appeal it one more time.I am involved in the VA Round Table meetings, calling my Congressman and anybody else I have to.Our loved ones were drafted to protect us and they should be given the same respect. We are expected to turn in our paperwork in a timely manner because time is not in our favor.Our Veterans have had to wait 50 years to get the benefits they should have received a long time ago. Do not give up fight it. I plan to be a voice for our Veterans. I personally bieve I was denied because of his death. They should back pay us, we depend on this money to cover living expenses. God Bless our Veterans.
Isn’t it simple? The VA is on a long term track to disenfranchise veterans so as to save money. This is why C&P is a joke. This is why no one gets true help and the care they are supposed to unless, outside of our families, WE employ others to fight for us: VFW, DAV, Legion, and attorneys. We either were drafted or VOLUNTEERED to help our country and only 1% of US citizens do it. Yet, the VA finds loopholes for our care all the time. The system is totally broken. But that’s exactly how the VA wants it and the Federal government. Make it ‘look like’ they care, but not really.
I fully agree with you. I’ve been fighting the VA for 5 months shy of 10 years now. After being laid off from service in 2012 just under 2 weeks from my retirement eligibility date. No medical care from 2012-2017. I’m currently only drawing 60% even though I should be getting 100%
Peter I also agree because I still have unpaid bills from when I was in the hospital VA is not truly caring about us.
A friend of mine and I are in agreement that it seems like they do this on purpose so the Veterans off themselves and the VA odes not have to pay
I think this is unconstitutional.. What Veteran wouldn’t want a family member as their caretaker vereses an unknown person from VA? We are the ones that see them on a daily basis and know how the changes are, yet we still get denied. I mean these are our family these are your people that went and sacrificed their life for us, I don’t understand why it is a fight with everything with the VA in order for our veterans to get what they should have coming to them as their duty that they served as a United States veteran. You should allow and compensate the family taking care of the veteran with no fight or argument whatsoever or even what percentage they are at as the way it is now you have to be on your deathbed before you are able to even help your family member and by then it’s too late. Very unconstitutional I would say my dad has dementia right now there’s no way that he could live by himself and cook and clean and do his daily activities by himself we have been denied and denied and denied due to the government errors on his DD214 saying they need proof that my dad was boots on the ground in the Vietnam war. So I go to senator in half I have the paperwork my dad was a tank repairman he was on several different units and he also did 12 weeks of training to be an instructor. And our representative turned in the paperwork and we are still waiting. And I only get a letter that says that he’s still at 30%, they’re only giving him the 30% because it was in camp Pendleton. His unit was all the way up almost into the DMZ and was contaminated with agent Orange all the paperwork states are right there my dad has waited long enough it’s time for them to return in his honor apologize and give my dad what he has coming to him for serving our country. And allow myself to take care of him for the rest of his days on Earth.
Ltcprl Lloyd D Gordon
I’m 100% p&t then moved to the unemployeable. My wife is my full-time care provider at home. I was told not to bother applying I won’t qualify.
Same here Shawn
So those of us who have had to, for years, hire someone to help with the kids so we could work since TBI leaves him not reliable, will continue to be denied. Those of us who worked PRN so we could schedule work around his Dr. appointments to avoid the confusion both with confabulations being presented as truth to the medical team and errors in instructions from the Dr to the pt due to poor hearing/memory issues/ and receptive and expressive aphasia will Continue to suffer financially. As with everything else it is not about need it is about being SEEN to be helping, so those that do not have injuries easily seen by the public will continue to be given just enough crumbs for the VA to say oh yes we are helping.
There is no words for this… obviously the was not well though when they implemented this policy. It should not be that hard if they really want to help veterans and improve their qualitive of living. Someone up the chain should take the challenge to the criteria should be changed to 70% or greater, or the veteran has a rating of I.U. and will show that the VA has good intent to resolve these cases without any bureaucratic involvement.
We have been deined twice. Currently on appeal number 2. 100 percent permanent x2! I qualify by the rules, but the VA ignores us.
Same here. My husband is 100 percent service connected under ALS and we have been denied twice.
Presently the eligability rules require that the veteran have a combined service connected disability rating of 70% or greater. I recently spoke to the Providence VA personnel regarding a veteran client that is on a feeding tube, and most likely, the final stages of his life. His daughter quit her job to become his full time care giver.
However, because the existing rules are hard coded at “combined rating of 70% or more”, she was denied. This veteran is actually service connected at 60%, but is compensated at the 100% rating because the VA determined that he is unemployable. They refer to this rating as I.U. (Individual Unemployability).
Providence fully understood this delimma and stated that even if I filed an appeal it woud be denied because the regulation was quite specific.
This is a sad and unfortunate situation and requires someone to review this scenario to see if the criteria should be changed to 70% or greater, or the veteran has a rating of I.U.
As an advocate, all I can do is to try and find another posible disability that we can apply for in hopes of increasing the veteran’s rating from 60% to 70%, which is not very easy to do, and will inconventient the veteran since he will have to attend another compensation and pension examination to determine if the claim is well founded.
I would be glad to speak with someone should the above appear to be nebulous.
Roger A. Mello
VA Accredited Agent
I heard from someone at the VA that the date range for exclusion is up for discussion to be removed in October 2022, so all veterans can be considered for a family caregiver if they meet the rest of the criteria, is this true??
That’s what I heard also. The VA informed me that the post 911 Vets get the Care assistance and more then the Pre911 Vets I find that to be discrimination
Joseph Metcalf.
Why isn’t Congress protecting us all? Our Pre9/11 don’t have that long to live in many cases. Thanks