Veteran’s Voice — President’s Executive Order mirrors Congressional Home Care Act

As many will know, if legislation does not pass both the House and Senate and then gets signed into law by the President within the two years between congressional elections, it lies dormant until reintroduced in a new Congress. Such is the case with the Elizabeth Dole Home Care Act, which has been rattling around Congress for several years now.

The act was intended to halt some of the draconian changes that Veterans Affairs was contemplating to its Home Health Care benefits, including eligibility changes and cutting funding for this benefit, leaving many veterans and their families in dire circumstances.

While the Dole Act has now been reintroduced in the U.S. Senate, the White House has decided to issue an Executive Order, basically to the VA, to implement many of the beneficial actions found in the Dole Act. These include directing the VA to improve access to home-based care for veterans who require support with activities of daily living, like bathing and getting dressed, by giving them more decision-making power over who delivers that care and when. The VA is also being directed to consider expanding its Veteran Directed Care program to all 172 VA Medical Centers by the end of Fiscal Year 2024.

This program will provide veterans with a budget to hire personal care assistance, including from family members. The family care option is an important aspect, considering that even with paid professional home-care help, a veteran’s family still carries a significant burden that usually precludes full-time employment of a family member, such as a spouse, son, or daughter. In addition, the quality of care and the lives of the veteran and their family members generally improve when family members are providing care, as well as reducing incidents of abuse and fraud against elder veterans. In addition, the VA will consider adding 75 new interdisciplinary teams to its Home-Based Primary Care program to serve an additional 5,600 veterans in their homes. Additional information can be found at https://bit.ly/3nhlLjy

Vietnam 50

Many of us celebrated Vietnam Veterans Day this past March 29. This year is the 50th anniversary of the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Vietnam. The impressive website linked below shows upcoming observances through Nov. 11, 2025 which covers the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon in 1975. See https://bit.ly/3LHcZ7S

Adapt Your Car with VA Assistance If you have a servicerelated disability that prevents you from driving, VA can help you buy a specially adapted vehicle or adapt an existing vehicle to make it drivable for you, and other vehicle modifications. Previously, this program allowed for a one-time grant, which is capped at $22,000, however, a new law that came into effect in early 2023 now enables eligible veterans to access this benefit every ten years. If you have accessed this benefit in the past, you may be able to access it again if enough time has passed. More information is available at https://bit.ly/41R7Qj9

As always, please pass on your events, comments, and concerns to osceolavets@gmail.com.