Serving Oakland · Macomb · Wayne counties
Family guide
Does the VA pay for home care? A straight answer for families
Often, yes. If the veteran is enrolled in VA health care and VA finds a need for help at home, VA pays the home care agency directly. Here is what VA covers, what it doesn't, and what it may cost.
The short answer
Often, yes. If the veteran is enrolled in VA health care and a VA care team finds that they need help at home, VA can pay a home care agency directly for the hours it authorizes. The family does not hire or pay the caregiver for those hours.
A service-connected disability rating is not required for VA home care. Eligibility is based on need: help with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, eating, using the toilet or moving around the house, or significant memory problems.
Two things VA decides, not the agency: whether the veteran qualifies, and how many hours each week. Many veterans are authorized for a few hours a week. Some receive up to about 16.
What VA can pay for at home
| Service | What it is | Who provides it |
|---|---|---|
| Homemaker / Home Health Aide | A trained caregiver comes to the home to help with bathing, dressing, meals, light housekeeping and errands. | A community home care agency, like VETTED |
| Respite care | Someone steps in at home, or the veteran attends a program, so the family caregiver can take a break. | A community agency or VA program |
| Veteran-Directed Care | The veteran gets a flexible budget and hires their own helpers, often family or friends. | The veteran, with help from a local program |
| Skilled home health care | Nurses and therapists come to the home for things like wound care and physical therapy. | A licensed home health agency |
| Home Based Primary Care | A VA health care team, led by a VA doctor, provides care in the home. | VA |
| Adult day health care | A daytime program with activities, companionship and help with daily tasks. | VA or a community program |
| Home telehealth | A VA care coordinator tracks health remotely with equipment at home. | VA |
Source: VA home and community-based services. VETTED provides non-medical care only: Homemaker / Home Health Aide and respite.
What it may cost
VA pays the agency directly for authorized hours. You will not get a bill from VETTED for VA-authorized care.
Some veterans owe a VA copay for this kind of care, which VA calls extended care. VA bases the copay on the level of care and the financial information on VA's Application for Extended Care Services (VA Form 10-10EC). VA's 2026 copay rates list outpatient extended care, such as adult day health care and respite, at up to $15 a day, with the first 21 days each year at no copay. Many veterans owe nothing.
Only VA can tell you what applies to your veteran. The VA social worker can help you fill out the form and explain the result.
What VA home care usually won't cover
- Round-the-clock care. Homemaker / Home Health Aide care is built around a set number of hours each week. If the veteran needs more, ask the VA social worker about adult day health care, respite, or other options.
- A spouse's own care. VA home care is a benefit for the enrolled veteran. It doesn't cover a spouse's own needs unless the spouse is also a veteran.
- Hours beyond what VA authorizes. Families sometimes add private-pay hours for a longer shift or a hard week.
- Medical tasks by a non-medical caregiver. Our caregivers give medication reminders, not medications, injections or wound care. VA can arrange skilled nursing separately.
Other help that can pay for care
Aid and Attendance
VA describes Aid and Attendance as "monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension" for veterans and survivors who qualify. It's a separate benefit with its own rules. Some families use it to pay for care that VA health care doesn't cover. Read VA's Aid and Attendance page.
VETTED never prepares, files or charges for benefit claims. Accredited Veterans Service Officers help for free. Start with your county veterans services office, or search VA's list of accredited representatives.
Help for family caregivers
VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers can pay a monthly stipend to a primary family caregiver. The veteran needs a VA disability rating of 70% or higher and at least 6 months of continuous, in-person personal care, among other requirements. For families who don't qualify, VA's Program of General Caregiver Support Services offers support and resources. See VA's family caregiver program or call the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.
Private-pay care
If the veteran isn't eligible yet, is waiting on VA, or needs extra hours, private-pay care can fill the gap. Call us at 248-794-9292 to talk it through.
How to ask VA for home care
Make sure the veteran is enrolled in VA health care
If not, apply on va.gov or get free help from your county veterans services office.
Call the veteran's VA social worker
Explain which daily tasks have become hard and what has changed recently, such as a fall, a hospital stay or new memory problems.
Ask for home care, and ask for VETTED by name
Say: "We'd like home care at home, and we'd like VETTED to provide it." VA makes the final arrangements.
We call you
When VA sends the referral, we call to plan the first visit around the veteran's routine.
Common questions
Does the veteran need a service-connected disability rating to get VA home care?
No. VA home care is part of VA health care, and eligibility is based on need. Many veterans who get home care have no disability rating.
Does the VA pay family members to be caregivers?
In some cases. VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers can pay a monthly stipend to an eligible primary family caregiver. Through Veteran-Directed Care, a veteran can also use a budget to hire helpers, often family or friends. Ask the VA social worker which fits.
Will we get a bill for VA-authorized home care?
Not from VETTED. VA pays us directly for authorized hours. Some veterans owe VA a copay for extended care; the VA social worker can tell you whether that applies.
Does the VA pay for home care for a veteran's spouse?
Not for the spouse's own needs, unless the spouse is also a veteran. Some surviving spouses may qualify for a VA pension with Aid and Attendance. Private-pay care is another option.
Can we choose which home care agency VA uses?
You can ask for an agency by name. The agency has to be one VA can use in your area, and VA makes the final arrangements. Tell the social worker, "We'd like VETTED."
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. Page last updated September 24, 2026.