Veterans Affairs officials on Friday announced plans to extend caregiver benefits to legacy participants of department support programs through September 2028, pushing back the potential cutoff of benefits by almost two years.
The move comes as department officials continue to review potential changes to the program, which provides training, respite care, counseling, technical support, a monthly stipend and access to health care through the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The stipends vary based on where veterans live, but generally hover around $3,000 a month for the most severely wounded individuals and $1,800 for others in need of around-the-clock care.
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At the start of this year, nearly 90,000 caregivers were enrolled in either the PCAFC or VA’s Program of General Caregiver Support Services. But the efforts have faced significant controversy in recent years because of attempted reforms to eligibility and enrollment rules.
In June 2022, the department suspended all caregiver reassessments and program dismissals amid worries that families depending on the benefit were being wrongly evaluated. Since then, department leaders have repeatedly pushed back deadlines for new eligibility rules.
In December, under the previous presidential administration, officials filed notice in the Federal Register to suspend legacy dismissals from the program until late 2026, as they contemplated adding more families into the eligibility pool.
Friday’s announcement pushes that back even further, to 2028. Officials said that legacy participants in the program will continue to receive their current levels of benefits “while VA continues the rulemaking process to refine the program.”
In a statement, Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee Chairman Jerry Moran, R-Kansas, praised the move as a responsible decision.
“By extending this pause, post-9/11 veterans and caregivers who have been enrolled in VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers since before it was expanded to pre-9/11 veterans in 2020 can rest assured that they will continue to be supported as VA, Congress and the caregiver community keep working to make certain this program is successful for all generations of veterans and their caregivers,” he said.
Legacy participants are veterans and family caregivers who were enrolled in the PCAFC before Sept. 30, 2020, when it was initially expanded to include pre-9/11 veterans.
Bob Carey, executive director of the National Defense Committee, said that while his group applauded efforts to ensure that legacy program participants are being taken care of amid confusion with the caregiver benefits, “this doesn’t change the underlying regulation that is unnecessarily restrictive, especially for the pre-9/11 veterans who were not eligible for the program until 2019.” He said additional reforms need to be enacted more quickly.
Officials from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation said they have been fielding anxious calls from veterans about the program’s future for months, and Friday’s news will help calm some of those fears.
“This resolution has been our top priority,” foundation CEO Steve Schwab said in a statement. “While we know this is not the final step, we commend Secretary Collins and his team for extending the timeframe for eligibility for the Legacy caregivers. This action gives them needed financial breathing room while the agency continues to work to finalize the rules governing this vital program.”
Leo covers Congress, Veterans Affairs and the White House for Military Times. He has covered Washington, D.C. since 2004, focusing on military personnel and veterans policies. His work has earned numerous honors, including a 2009 Polk award, a 2010 National Headliner Award, the IAVA Leadership in Journalism award and the VFW News Media award.
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