A Resource for Geriatric Social Workers, Case Managers and Discharge Planners
Geriatric social workers and case managers rely on Veterans Home Care to help bridge gaps for certain wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. We offer senior care professionals, including hospital and rehab social workers, case managers and discharge planners, our expertise with an underutilized VA funding source known as Aid and Attendance.
The VetAssist Program is the Optimal Solution for Many Patients
- Our VetAssist Program connects qualifying veterans or their surviving spouses to our national network of home care and adult daycare providers with no out-of-pocket costs.
- If eligible, the cost of care is offset by the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit.
- When you refer to us, we assist your patients and do all the work for you.
- Discharge planners, social workers, case managers simply refer patients to VetAssist.
- Adding home care to your care plan can reduce avoidable readmissions and emergency room visits.
- We help patients decide if they should apply for VA Aid and Attendance, complete VA paperwork and get care started right away before VA entitlement begins.
- We offer our VetAssist Companion, 24/7 voice-activated emergency response technology powered by Alexa,® for virtual assistance, video calls and more.
- The VetAssist Program includes ongoing client services to help clients remain in VA compliance with medical expenses and to transition to a higher level of care if needed.
Referring Patients to the VetAssist Program is Easy
If you have a patient who could benefit from our services, call 888-314-6075.
Or choose one of the options below.
Get to Know A VetAssist Manager
Social workers and professionals who refer to Veterans Home Care can have a VetAssist manager assigned to them. Our managers can provide additional services such as in-service training for your staff, brochures for patients and can answer any of your questions.
Discharge Planning for Veterans and Their Survivors
Before a patient is discharged from an in-patient setting or out-patient rehab, discharge planners assess and often recommend in-home care. Long term assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) isn’t covered by Medicare. Sadly, many patients can’t afford care. Since the VA offers benefits for custodial care, geriatric discharge planning should always include questions about veteran status.
4 Questions to Ask When Discharging Geriatric Patients
Asking these simple questions can change a life and help a deserving veteran and their family. When a patient says yes to all four questions, refer them to us and we’ll take it from there.
- Did you or your spouse serve in the military?
- Did the veteran serve during wartime?
- Does the patient (or couple) have a net worth at or below $155,356? (as of 12.2023)
- Would you like me to refer you to Veterans Home Care’s VetAssist Program?
Discharge Planning for Veterans and Their Survivors
Before a patient is discharged from an in-patient setting or out-patient rehab, discharge planners assess and often recommend in-home care. Long term assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) isn’t covered by Medicare. Sadly, many patients can’t afford care. Since the VA offers benefits for custodial care, geriatric discharge planning should always include questions about veteran status.
4 Questions to Ask When Discharging Geriatric Patients
Asking these simple questions can change a life and help a deserving veteran and their family. When a patient says yes to all four questions, refer them to us and we’ll take it from there.
- Did you or your spouse serve in the military?
- Did the veteran serve during wartime?
- Does the patient (or couple) have a net worth at or below $138,489? (as of 12.2021)
- Would you like me to refer you to Veterans Home Care’s VetAssist Program?
Surviving Spouses and VA Benefits
Other Tips for Geriatric Case Managers & Social Workers Navigating the VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s mammoth size can overwhelm even experienced geriatric case managers, discharge planners and social workers. When it comes to patients who choose to use Aid and Attendance primarily for in-home care or adult daycare, we simplify the process.
“I worked in social services for many years and had no idea that this VA Aid and Attendance benefit existed. I know my mother certainly appreciates everything about Veterans Home Care.“
— Joann Bowell, New Jersey
Surviving Spouses and VA Benefits
It’s important to ask both male and female patients about their military service. Even if they didn’t serve, they may qualify for VA survivor benefits such as Aid and Attendance. To qualify for Aid and Attendance, surviving spouses must have been married to a veteran at the time of the veteran’s death. While acceptance for widows and widowers into VA skilled nursing homes vary by state, Aid and Attendance is available to them nationwide.
Other Tips for Geriatric Case Managers & Social Workers Navigating the VA
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)’s mammoth size can overwhelm even experienced geriatric case managers, discharge planners and social workers. When it comes to patients who choose to use Aid and Attendance primarily for in-home care or adult daycare, we simplify the process.
“I worked in social services for many years and had no idea that this VA Aid and Attendance benefit existed. I know my mother certainly appreciates everything about Veterans Home Care.“
— Joann Bowell, New Jersey
3 Branches of the VA
It’s helpful to know, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is divided
into three separate branches offering a wide array of benefits:
Administration (VBA)
for Aid and Attendance & other monetary benefits
Administration (VHA)
for medical care in more than a thousand facilities
Administration (NCA)
for burial benefits & managing national cemeteries
2 Options for Home Care Through the VA
For getting your patient’s home care needs met through the VA, there are two options. A veteran may get help from both the VHA and the VBA. The VHA offers Homemaker and Home Health Aide services and a Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. These services may vary by location. Dependents and survivors are not eligible for VHA services.
2 Important Types of VBA Monetary Benefits
Two distinct types for monetary payments from the VBA are compensation and pension. A veteran can only receive one or the other. So it’s important that the veteran files a claim for the benefit that pays the most.
VA Pension
For veterans who served at least 1 day during wartime, but no service-related disability is required. No combat or overseas service is required. Veterans are eligible if they served stateside.
VA Compensation
For veterans with a service-related disability. You’ll often hear a veteran refer to his or her disability rating. Per VA’s rating criteria, they consider the veteran’s level of impairment and determine a rating from 10% to 100%. The higher the disability rating, the more the veteran receives in compensation.
Aid and Attendance
Aid and Attendance is an additional monetary benefit that can be added to a VA pension or VA compensation payment. It’s intended for those who need custodial long-term care or the aid and attendance of another.
Another Reason to Refer Your Patient to VetAssist
If your patient is not a good fit for our VetAssist Program, we will refer him or her to another resource that may be able to help. Often, we refer families to a state veteran service officer or a veteran service organization. We do our best so that our veterans and their families get the benefits that they earned and deserve.
