Support for Caregivers of Veterans

Family caregivers are on-call 24/7. It is a commitment for which there is no day-off. For this reason, family caregivers need support to keep their batteries’ fully charged. The Veterans Affairs’ (VA) Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) addresses the complexity and expense of keeping loved ones out of institutions and at home with their families who provide personalized care. PCAFC offers caregivers upport services including training, peer mentoring, respite care, a monthly stipend, a telephone support line and self-care courses for caregivers. “We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to caregivers who work tirelessly to provide critical support for our nation’s Veterans,” said VA Secretary Robert Wilkie.

Currently, PCAFC is only available to family caregivers of eligible Veterans seriously injured in the line of duty on or after September 11, 2001. According to the VA, that’s about to change. In October 2020, PCAFC will open up to eligible WWII, Korean and Vietnam Veterans. Two years after the first phase of program expansion, PCAFC expand again to include eligible Veterans who were seriously injured in the line of duty between May 7, 1975, and Sept. 11, 2001.

Supporting caregivers with information, tools and guidance allows them to be the eyes and ears of physicians between patient appointments. All these elements can improve a patient’s quality of life. Join with Patients and Providers United in support of keeping patients, providers and caregivers at the center of medical decision making.