For many Veterans, home care is a preferred option, allowing them to age comfortably while receiving necessary support. As a caregiver, serving Veteran clients can be rewarding, yet understanding their benefits can be complex.
What home care Options does Colonial Home Care provide for Veterans?
Colonial Home Care offers two key programs for Veterans:
- Aid and Attendance, and the
- VA Community Care Network’s (CCN) Home Health Aide, Homemaker, and Respite programs.
What Is The Community Care Network?
The Community Care Network (CCN) is a nationwide alliance of healthcare providers, comprising doctors, hospitals, and other medical experts collaborating with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to deliver healthcare services to eligible Veterans beyond the VA healthcare system.
Through CCN providers, the VA ensures Veterans receive top-notch, prompt, and tailored healthcare services aligning with their specific requirements.
How does VA Community Care benefit home care agencies?
This program is ideal for Veterans unable to access VA medical facilities easily or needing specialized care not offered there.
For home care, the VA authorizes community providers to deliver HHA/Homemaker or respite services to Veterans and directly compensates the agency for these services.
Community Care Network: Eligibility, Qualification, and Reimbursement
Veterans eligible for CCN can access medical care closer to home, offering convenience and cost-effectiveness. However, navigating eligibility, qualification, and reimbursement can be complex.
To qualify for home care through CCN, Veterans must be enrolled in the VA health care system and deemed in need of home care by a VA professional. Hourly care allocation is solely based on need, ranging from 6 to 16 hours weekly, with no maximum limit. In special cases, 24-hour care may be authorized. Reimbursement rates, varying by location, are annually set by the VA, ranging from $28.80 to $82.00 per hour in 2023, making CCN a favorable payer in home care.
What is Aid and Attendance
Aid and Attendance is a VA pension benefit offered to qualifying wartime Veterans, their spouses, and surviving spouses. It provides financial aid to Veterans needing personal care assistance for Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) like bathing, dressing, and feeding.
How does Aid and Attendance benefit home care agencies?
Aid and Attendance offers vital assistance to Veterans needing ongoing care without the financial capacity to cover it. This benefit can fund home care aides for daily activities support.
Home care agencies partnering with Aid and Attendance must adhere to VA standards and hold an official contract with the VA. Periodic reviews by the VA ensure compliance with care standards.
Aid and Attendance: Eligibility and Qualification
]Aid and Attendance, a pension benefit, evaluates a Veteran’s military service and financial status for eligibility. Veterans are required to have served at least 90 consecutive days during specific war periods and maintain assets below $150,538 (as of 2023). Honorable discharge is a prerequisite, and surviving spouses must have been married to the eligible Veteran at the time of death. The benefit is disbursed directly to the Veteran, who then allocates funds for their care. Hourly rates are agreed upon prior to the commencement of care.
For Aid and Attendance approval, there are several specialized companies assisting Veterans and facilitating connections with eligible clients and home care agencies. Noteworthy examples include Aidandattendance.com, VetAssist, Veteran Care Coordination, and the Care Planning Institute.
Your Local Provider for In-Home Senior Care Services
We have been providing trustworthy and dependable home care to seniors living in Brea, Long Beach, Orange County & the surrounding area for over 25 years. Your loved one’s safety and well-being are our primary concerns. We take great pride in carefully selecting and thoroughly screening our staff to ensure that all of our clients receive a compassionate, dedicated, and trustworthy caregiver. We have expertise working with a wide variety of medical conditions, ranging from companion-level care to terminal illness. Help can be arranged for as little as a few hours a day to around-the-clock care.
Catherina Bertaina’s Father and other relatives of the Colonial Home Care Team during their many years of service
Catherina Bertaina’s Father
Catherina Bertaina’s Father – Army Reserve Camp Roberts – August, 1957
Catherina Bertaina’s Father – Paul Emmas House – Los Angeles, CA – December, 1954
Yesenia's son Angel Padilla, Private 2nd Class (on the right)
Grayson Bertaina, 2nd Lt USAF
Peggy's 3 sons in Air Force
(left to right) Daniel Cuellar, Kevin Cuellar, Jason Cuellar
Sister-in-law Peggy Bertaina
Third from the left (Graduated from first class with women fighter pilots from the Air Force)
Peggy Bertaina flying a T 38
On the journey to honoring 100 Veterans in Orange County – Veterans Day 2024.
