Serving Oakland · Macomb · Wayne counties
Veteran Care
Veteran-Directed Care: how it works and where we fit
Veteran-Directed Care puts the veteran in charge of a care budget and lets them hire their own helpers, often family or friends. Here is a plain explanation of the program, who runs it locally, and the limited but useful role VETTED can play.
At a glance, in VA's words
- What it is
- "Veteran Directed Care gives Veterans of all ages the opportunity to receive the Home and Community Based Services they need in a consumer-directed way."
- Who is eligible
- "All enrolled Veterans are eligible for Veteran Directed Care if they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria for the service, and it is available."
- What help is included
- The veteran gets a budget to hire their own workers, often family or friends.
- How to start
- Talk with the veteran's VA social worker.
Source: VA Veteran Directed Care. VA decides eligibility and authorized hours.
How Veteran-Directed Care works
Veteran-Directed Care, or VDC, suits veterans who want more control over who helps them at home. Instead of VA sending an agency, the veteran decides who to hire, when they work and what they do.
Many veterans use VDC to hire someone they already trust: a grown child, a neighbor, a friend from church. That can mean a family member who was helping for free is now paid for their time.
The veteran does not handle this alone. A local aging-services organization helps set up the plan, and a financial service handles payroll and paperwork for the workers the veteran hires. VA stays involved to decide who qualifies and how large the budget is.
VDC is growing. The Dole Act, signed January 2, 2025, requires VA to make Veteran-Directed Care and Homemaker / Home Health Aide care available at every VA medical center by early 2027.
Who runs it here
In Southeast Michigan, AgeWays Nonprofit Senior Services in Southfield receives VDC referrals from the Detroit and Ann Arbor VA medical centers for veterans in its service region. AgeWays is an Area Agency on Aging. The veteran's VA social worker will confirm which agency handles VDC where the veteran lives. Its staff work with the veteran to build a care plan, explain the budget, and support the veteran as an employer.
VETTED is not part of AgeWays and does not run the VDC program. If you have questions about VDC budgets, enrollment or rules, AgeWays and the veteran's VA social worker are the right people to ask.
How VDC differs from Homemaker / Home Health Aide care
| Homemaker / Home Health Aide | Veteran-Directed Care | |
|---|---|---|
| Who provides care | A home care agency's caregivers | Workers the veteran hires, often family or friends |
| Who is the employer | The agency | The veteran, with help from the program |
| What VA sets | Weekly hours of care | A care budget |
| Scheduling and backup | The agency arranges coverage | The veteran plans it, including backup |
| Best for | Veterans who want care arranged for them | Veterans who want more control and have people they want to hire |
Neither is better for everyone. VDC offers freedom and can keep care in the family. It also brings employer duties: hiring, setting schedules, approving timesheets and planning for the days a worker is sick. Some veterans welcome that. Others would rather someone else handle it.
Where VETTED fits
Backup and short-term coverage
Even the best VDC plan has gaps. A worker gets sick, goes on vacation or has a family emergency. Where the program allows, VETTED can help with backup or short-term coverage so the veteran isn't left without help. Whether that is possible, and how it is paid for, depends on the veteran's plan and the program's rules. Ask AgeWays first.
Homemaker / Home Health Aide care instead
Some veterans look into VDC and decide they would rather not be an employer. That is a reasonable choice. Homemaker / Home Health Aide care lets an agency handle hiring, scheduling and coverage. If that fits better, you can ask the VA social worker about H/HHA and ask for VETTED by name. Learn about H/HHA care.
Our caregivers provide non-medical help only. They do not give medications or injections, provide wound care or make medical assessments.
How to ask about VDC
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Talk to the veteran's VA social worker
Ask whether Veteran-Directed Care is available and whether the veteran may qualify. The veteran must be enrolled in VA health care, and VA decides eligibility.
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Connect with AgeWays
If VA refers the veteran to VDC, AgeWays will help build the care plan and explain the budget and hiring process.
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Ask about backup care
While you are planning, ask AgeWays how backup coverage works in the veteran's plan and whether an agency like VETTED can be part of it.
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Call us if you'd like to talk it through
We are glad to explain the difference between VDC and agency care, with no pressure either way. Call 248-794-9292.
Common questions
Can I get paid to care for my father through VDC?
In many cases, family members can be hired as workers under VDC. The program's rules decide who can be hired. Ask AgeWays and the VA social worker about the veteran's situation.
What happens if the veteran's worker quits or can't come?
Under VDC, the veteran is responsible for arranging backup, with help from AgeWays. That is why it helps to plan a backup before you need one. Ask AgeWays whether an agency like VETTED can provide short-term coverage under the veteran's plan.
Does VETTED manage VDC budgets or payroll?
No. AgeWays and the program's financial service handle those. VETTED's role is limited to caregiving support where the program allows.
Can we switch from VDC to Homemaker / Home Health Aide care later?
Talk to the VA social worker. Needs and preferences change, and VA can review which program fits best.
Is VDC available now in our area?
The veteran's VA social worker can tell you the current status for the veteran's VA medical center. VA is required to offer VDC at every medical center by early 2027.
Does VDC cost the veteran anything?
Some veterans owe a VA copay for extended care, depending on their priority group and income, and many owe nothing. The VA social worker can tell you what applies. See eligibility and cost.
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.