President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a comprehensive set of executive actions aimed at providing veterans with better access to home-based care and supporting family caregivers.
During a Rose Garden ceremony on April 18, Biden signed an executive order that includes more than 50 directives for agencies across the government, including the Department of Veterans Affairs.
The executive order directs VA to improve access to home-based care for veterans who require support with activities of daily living, like bathing and getting dressed, by giving them more decision-making power over who delivers that care and when.
“This is great news for our aging and disabled veterans who deserve and have earned access to quality home-based care,” said Chairman of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee Sen. John Tester (D-MT) in a statement.
VA was also directed to consider expanding its Veteran Directed Care program to all 172 of its medical centers by the end of Fiscal Year 2024. This program provides veterans with a budget to hire personal care assistance including from family members.
The order also directs VA to explore the possibility of expanding access to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers and to provide more mental health support for caregivers enrolled in that program.
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“This directive recognizes the dire importance of care workers, while taking an all-government approach with support from agencies – like the Department of Veterans Affairs, among others – to improve access to home-based care for veterans, enhance job quality for long-term care workers, and support family caregivers,” said Charles Brown, National President Paralyzed Veterans of America, in a statement.
VA will also consider piloting a new self-directed care program, pulling from the Elizabeth Dole Foundation’s Respite Relief program model, that provides veterans with a budget for personal care assistance under the order’s directives.
VA will also study adding 75 new interdisciplinary teams to its Home-Based Primary Care program to serve an additional 5,600 veterans in their homes.
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The executive order directs the Department of Defense to improve the affordability of childcare on military installations. It also directs federal agencies to identify grant programs to support childcare and long-term care for individuals working on federal projects and expand child-care access for applicants seeking federal job-creating funds.
Biden stressed that the executive order does not require any new spending.
“It’s about making sure taxpayers get the best value for the investments they’ve already made,” he said.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.