Serving Oakland · Macomb · Wayne counties
Veteran Care
Homemaker / Home Health Aide care for veterans
A steady, familiar caregiver who comes to the veteran's home to help with bathing, dressing, meals and the rest of the day. VA authorizes the hours and pays VETTED directly.
At a glance, in VA's words
- What it is
- "A trained person who can come to a Veterans home and help the Veteran take care of themselves and their daily activities."
- Who is eligible
- "All enrolled Veterans are eligible for Homemaker Home Health Aide Care if they are eligible for community care and meet the clinical criteria for the service."
- What help is included
- VA lists help with eating, getting dressed, personal grooming, bathing, using the bathroom, moving from one place to another, and grocery shopping.
- Cost
- "A copay for Homemaker and Home Health Aide services may be charged based on your VA service-connected disability status."
- How to start
- VA says "your VA social worker can help you make arrangements." You can ask for VETTED by name.
Source: VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care. VA decides eligibility and authorized hours.
What it means in practice
Homemaker / Home Health Aide care, often shortened to H/HHA, is VA's main program for non-medical help at home. A VA care team decides whether the veteran qualifies and how many hours of help make sense, then sends a referral to a community home care agency. VETTED accepts VA community care referrals for veterans across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.
Our caregivers are not nurses, and this is not medical care. It is practical, respectful help that lets a veteran keep living at home.
H/HHA often fits when a veteran lives alone and is starting to struggle, or when a spouse or adult child is doing more than one person can manage. It can also help after a hospital stay, when the veteran is home again but not yet steady on their feet. If you are not sure it fits, the VA social worker can talk it through with you, and so can we.
What a typical visit can include
Personal care
- Bathing, showering and shaving
- Dressing and grooming
- Toileting and incontinence care
- Safe transfers from bed, chair or wheelchair
- Steady support while walking
- Medication reminders
Around the house
- Cooking meals and help with eating
- Dishes, tidying and light housekeeping
- Laundry and fresh bed linens
- Grocery runs, errands and rides to appointments
- Company and conversation
- Calm, patient support for veterans with dementia
How hours are set
VA decides the hours, not the agency. A VA social worker, usually working with a nurse, looks at which daily activities the veteran needs help with and how much. Based on that, VA authorizes a number of hours each week. Many veterans receive a few hours a week. Some receive up to about 16.
We then build a schedule inside those hours that fits the veteran's life. Some families want a longer morning visit for bathing and breakfast. Others do better with shorter visits spread across the week. We will talk it through with you.
VA pays VETTED directly for authorized hours. Many veterans owe no copay. The VA social worker can tell you what applies, and our eligibility and cost page explains more.
What the first visit looks like
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We call you
When we receive the VA referral, we call the veteran or the family contact to introduce ourselves and pick a day for the first visit.
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We learn the routine
We go over the veteran's day, preferences and home: mealtimes, how they like to bathe, stairs, pets, hearing or vision needs, and who to call if something changes.
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We set the schedule
Together we choose visit days and times that fit the authorized hours. You get a clear list of when the caregiver will come.
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Care begins
The caregiver starts on the agreed schedule. We check in with you after the first week to ask how it is going.
How we match caregivers
A good match matters as much as a good schedule. Before care starts, we ask about the things that make someone feel at ease: a quiet caregiver or a talker, a sports fan, someone comfortable with a large dog, a preference for a man or a woman for personal care. We cannot promise every wish, but we take each one seriously.
Once a match works, we aim to keep it. We try to send the same caregiver each visit, and we give you notice if that has to change. If the fit isn't right, tell us. Changing caregivers is not a complaint. It is part of getting care right.
If hours change or the authorization runs out
Needs change. A fall, a hospital stay, or memory loss that gets worse can all mean the veteran needs more help. Authorizations also have end dates and are reviewed from time to time.
In either case, the person to call is the veteran's VA social worker. VA is the one who can reassess and change or renew the hours. We can help you prepare for that call so it goes well. It helps to have:
- Specific examples of what has changed, such as "He can no longer get out of the tub alone" or "She forgot to eat lunch three times this week"
- Which tasks take the most time during visits
- Any recent hospital stays, falls or new diagnoses
- A clear question: "Can the veteran be reassessed for more hours?" or "Can the current authorization be renewed?"
If you notice the end date getting close, call us at 248-794-9292. We would rather help you ask early than see care pause.
Common questions
Can we choose VETTED as the agency?
You can ask. Tell the veteran's VA social worker you would like VETTED by name. The agency has to be one VA can use, and VA makes the final arrangements.
Is Homemaker / Home Health Aide care the same as nursing care at home?
No. H/HHA care is non-medical help with daily living. Skilled nursing, therapy or wound care come from a separate provider that VA can arrange.
Can the caregiver drive the veteran to appointments?
Errands and rides to appointments can be part of a visit when they fit within the authorized hours. We will talk through the details when we set the schedule.
What if we want a different caregiver?
Call us at 248-794-9292. We will listen, and we will work on a better match.
Does someone need to be home during visits?
No. Many veterans who receive H/HHA care live alone. We will ask how the caregiver gets in, who to call in an emergency, and who in the family wants updates.
Can the veteran get respite care too?
Many families ask about both. Respite is a separate authorization for the family caregiver's time off. Read about respite care and ask the VA social worker whether it fits.
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.