The Department of Veterans Affairs has delayed its deadline for announcing changes to its family caregiver program, giving longtime participants who faced possible dismissal up to three more years of benefits.
The VA announced Friday that the extension for veterans and their caregivers who are "legacy" participants under the original eligibility criteria has been moved to September 2028. The original deadline had been Sept. 30, 2025 -- the date the department had set to review the criteria that it changed in 2020.
Originally established to provide benefits to caregivers of severely injured and ill post-9/11 veterans who otherwise would be institutionalized without round-the-clock care at home, the VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers was expanded in the 2018 Mission Act to include combat veterans of all eras.
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To accommodate the expansion, the VA made eligibility more restrictive, focusing largely on a veteran's ability to accomplish daily tasks such as bathing, dressing, using the toilet and feeding oneself.
The VA expected the changes to make one-third of the 19,000 veterans enrolled in the original program ineligible. Within 18 months of the new rules going into effect, the VA paused discharges from the program and conducted a review, later finding that the new criteria likely would have eliminated 90% of participating families, given assessment disparities and the fact that the new requirements did not account for veterans who need continuous supervision.
Legacy participants are veterans and family caregivers who were in the program as of Sept. 30, 2020. The change also affects legacy applicants who applied before Oct. 1, 2020, and were accepted on or after that date.
The change gives the VA time to continue the federal policy process for the program while providing benefits to the affected group, VA officials said Friday.
"This decision underscores VA's commitment to veterans and caregivers across the nation and will help provide consistency and stability to nearly 15,000 legacy participants for years to come," VA Secretary Doug Collins said in a statement.
The program provides respite services, health care and stipends ranging from roughly $1,800 to about $3,000 per month to designated family members or friends for the care they provide to a veteran in lieu of a home health aide.
In the past several months, legacy participants had begun posting on social media and notifying advocacy groups and lawmakers of their concerns about the program's future and their participation.
In a statement Friday, Steve Schwab, CEO of the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, said caregivers had been "expressing fear and anxiety" about their futures and the announcement was welcome news.
"While we know this is not the final step in a very long journey, we commend Secretary Collins and his team for taking this action to give these families financial breathing room," Schwab said in a statement.
The VA proposed new criteria for the program in the Federal Register in December, suggesting that the September 2025 deadline be extended by 18 months. That rule has not been finalized.
Roughly 89,700 veterans were enrolled in either the PCAFC program or the VA's Program of General Caregiver Support Services as of December. The latter program provides counseling, support, coaching and other services to veteran caregivers.
Related: New Standards for the VA Caregivers Program Are Still in Limbo. Advocates Want Them Released.
