Noteboom The Law Firm

VA Attempting To Restrict Caregiver Benefits

February 18, 2011 - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) missed their January 31^st deadline for making benefits available to caregivers of wounded veterans. Instead, it appears they will be rolling out benefits on a piecemeal basis. Worse still, according to Chairwoman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash), proposed limitations on those benefits that will result in eliminating many caregivers from eligibility.

Approximately 3,500 caregivers of seriously wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans were likely eligible for benefits and/or assistance when Congress passed the benefits legislation last May. Under the VA's newly imposed benefit standards, however, that number will be "severely" limited. Sen. Murray stated by doing this the VA is minimizing "the impact of the bill that we passed."

The proposed limiting factor would only have the VA issuing benefits to caregivers for veterans who are in need of at least 6 months of unbroken caregiver assistance or require hospitalization, or cannot care for themselves and present a safety hazard to themselves. The caregiver's duties must not be able to be performed by another person. According to the VA, they are limiting the number of qualifying veterans. Ideally they would support only those "most at need."

Sen. Murray sees the VA as undercutting Congress' intent in passing the law. Further, she feels it is insulting to those veterans and their families that have gone to war for this country to be filtered out of their benefits because they may not fit the VA's definition of "most at need."