Radio · Aired October 4, 2026 · Published October 9, 2026

Evan Shelline on Veterans Radio: how veterans get VA-paid home care

VETTED’s founder, Evan Mark Shelline, joined host Dale Throneberry on Veterans Radio’s Monthly Veterans Benefits Hour to explain how veterans and their families can get home care and respite care paid for by VA.

Listen to the episode

Evan’s segment begins at about 13:40 and runs about twenty minutes. He comes back at about 42:20 to talk about peer support. You can also listen on the Veterans Radio episode page, on YouTube, or in the Veterans Radio feed on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

Evan Shelline is the founder and president of VETTED, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Troy, Michigan. He served about a decade in the U.S. Navy, including about six years with the SEAL Teams. VETTED provides VA-authorized home care and respite care for veterans in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.

He was joined on the program by Brig. Gen. Carol Ann Fausone (ret.) of Legal Help for Veterans. Our thanks to Dale Throneberry and everyone at Veterans Radio for the invitation.

If you are a veteran in crisis, or you are worried about one, call the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.

What Evan told listeners

Home care starts with enrolling in VA health care

Many of the senior veterans Evan meets, at home and in independent living communities, have never enrolled in VA health care. His first advice is to go to the enrollment office at a VA medical center, such as Ann Arbor or Detroit, and enroll. In his experience most veterans qualify, and the only way to find out is to ask.

Ask the VA primary care provider for help at home

Once enrolled, a veteran is assigned a VA primary care team. Evan encourages veterans to ask for home care at that first visit if they need help with daily activities such as transfers, personal care, cooking or light housekeeping. The same visit is the time to ask about prescriptions the veteran is paying for out of pocket and equipment such as a walker or power wheelchair.

You do not need a disability rating

The home care VETTED provides is ordered by the VA primary care team on the basis of need. Evan told listeners that a veteran does not have to have a service-connected disability rating to qualify. The veteran has to be enrolled and ask.

Respite care gives families a break

When a spouse or adult child is providing most of the care, VA can authorize respite care so an aide comes in and the family member can rest. Evan said the goal is to protect the relationship between the veteran and the person caring for them.

Your private doctor stays your doctor

Evan hears this worry often. A VA primary care team is the veteran’s point of contact with VA. It does not replace a private doctor the veteran already trusts.

Referrals are renewed every six months

Home care referrals to VETTED run six months at a time. Evan said VETTED puts each renewal on the calendar a month early and contacts the veteran and the family, because VA may want another appointment before it extends the referral. If the authorized hours are not enough, the veteran can ask the care team for a review.

Families can help through My HealtheVet

Evan pointed families to My HealtheVet, VA’s online portal. A family member who holds the veteran’s medical power of attorney can use it to message the care team and set up telehealth visits when getting to a VA facility is difficult.

Then look at other benefits

After a veteran is enrolled and care is in place, Evan encourages families to find out whether the veteran also qualifies for Aid and Attendance, pension or service-connected compensation.

Peer support and The Veteran Muster

Late in the hour Evan talked about the peer support he does with the veterans VETTED serves, including The Veteran Muster and Buddy Checks. Many Korean War and Vietnam veterans, he said, have never talked with their families about their service.

“That peer-to-peer support is vital.”

He invited any veteran who does not want to go through VA to call him, and said he would help connect them with another veteran through the American Legion, the VFW or in person.

Questions Evan answered

Does a veteran need a disability rating to get home care through VA?

No. On the show Evan explained that the home care VETTED provides is ordered by a veteran’s VA primary care team based on need, not on a disability rating. The veteran has to be enrolled in VA health care and ask the primary care provider for it. VA decides who is eligible and how many hours are authorized.

How does a veteran get home care paid for by VA?

Evan described the path. Enroll in VA health care at the enrollment office of a VA medical center, such as Ann Arbor or Detroit. At the first visit with the assigned VA primary care provider, ask for help at home if the veteran needs help with daily activities. If VA approves, it sends a referral to a community care home care provider. A veteran can ask for a provider by name.

How many hours of home care does VA usually authorize?

Evan said most of the veterans VETTED serves are authorized somewhere between 10 and 16 hours a week, and some are authorized more. VA sets the hours, and the VA care team wants the veteran to keep doing as much as he or she safely can. If needs change, the veteran can go back to the primary care team and ask for a review.

What is respite care for a veteran’s family?

Respite care brings an aide into the home so the spouse, son, daughter or other family member who provides care can take a break. Evan said VA can authorize it when a family is carrying most of the care.

Will enrolling in VA health care affect a veteran’s private doctor?

Evan said this is a worry he hears often. Enrolling in VA health care and being assigned a VA primary care team does not replace or disrupt the care a veteran gets from a private doctor.

How long does a VA home care referral last?

Evan said the referrals VETTED receives for home care run six months at a time and have to be renewed. VA may ask for another primary care visit first. VETTED tracks each renewal date about a month ahead and contacts the veteran and the family.

Can a family member manage VA appointments for a veteran?

Evan pointed families to My HealtheVet, VA’s online portal. He said a family member who holds the veteran’s medical power of attorney can use it to message the care team, schedule appointments and set up telehealth visits, which helps when travel to a VA facility is hard.

What is The Veteran Muster?

The Veteran Muster is a veteran-only gathering Evan hosts in senior living communities in Southeast Michigan. On the show he described it as peer-to-peer support with Buddy Checks, and a way to reach Korean War and Vietnam veterans who have never talked about their service.

These answers summarize what Evan said on the program. VA alone decides eligibility and authorized hours for each veteran.

Where to find it in the episode

13:39 Evan is introduced by host Dale Throneberry
14:40 What VETTED does: home care and respite care for veterans, authorized and paid for by VA
15:14 How home care is ordered through a VA primary care provider, and where to enroll
16:45 What to ask for at the first VA primary care visit
17:47 Respite care for family caregivers
18:44 Keeping your private doctor while enrolled in VA health care
22:01 Asking VA for a home care provider by name
24:40 When hours are not enough: asking for a review, and My HealtheVet
28:55 Six-month referrals and no disability rating required
31:02 Staying ahead of referral renewals
32:54 After enrollment: Aid and Attendance, pension and service-connected claims
42:18 Peer support and The Veteran Muster

Next steps for families

Start with our guide, Does the VA pay for home care?, or read about Home Health Aide care and respite care. To talk with us, call the care line at 248-794-9292.

All VETTED news

Independent and veteran-owned. VETTED is not part of, and does not speak for, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. VA alone decides eligibility and authorized hours. Information on this site is general and is not a benefit determination.