Veterans Day · Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Veterans Day 2026: three things every veteran’s family in metro Detroit should know
The best way to thank a veteran this year may be to make one phone call on their behalf. Here is what to ask for, and who to ask.
1. VA can pay for help at home
If a veteran in your family is having trouble with bathing, dressing, meals or getting around the house, VA may pay for a caregiver to come to the home. It can also pay for respite care, which gives the family member doing the caregiving a break.
Three steps:
- Enroll in VA health care, if the veteran has not already. Many veterans who served decades ago never did. Start by asking, “Did you ever serve?”
- Ask the VA primary care team or social worker for a Homemaker and Home Health Aide evaluation.
- VA decides whether care is needed and how many hours. The veteran can tell the care team which agency they would like.
Our free guide walks through each step: Does the VA pay for home care? For family caregivers: respite care and VA caregiver support.
2. It is about to be offered everywhere
The Elizabeth Dole Act, signed in January 2025, requires every VA medical center to offer home health aide care and Veteran-Directed Care by early 2027. It also raises what VA may spend to keep a veteran at home, from 65 percent of the cost of nursing home care to as much as 100 percent.
For families in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties, that means more veterans can get more help at home than before. It does not happen automatically. Someone has to ask.
3. Help with claims is free
Pension benefits such as Aid and Attendance are separate from VA home care, and some veterans qualify for both. Here is the difference.
You should never pay anyone to file a VA claim. Accredited veterans service officers do it at no charge:
- Oakland County Veterans’ Services and Macomb County Veterans Services have accredited officers on staff.
- Wayne County residents can call the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency at 1-800-MICH-VET.
VETTED does not file or charge for benefit claims.
This Veterans Day
- Make a Buddy Check. Call a veteran you know and ask how they are doing. That is the whole assignment.
- Host a Veteran Muster. A veteran-only hour of camaraderie, remembrance and storytelling, hosted by VETTED founder Evan Shelline in senior living communities. How a Muster works.
- Book a free talk for your post or community. The Veteran Advisory Committee at Lily Hospice, which Evan chairs, offers a free 20-minute talk on the end-of-life benefits veterans have earned. What the committee does. To ask for a talk, call Lily Hospice at 248-955-5100.
- Serve those who served. VETTED is hiring caregivers in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. See careers.
If you or a veteran you know is in crisis, call the Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1.
To ask whether VETTED can care for a veteran in your family, call 248-794-9292 or send us a note.
Lily Hospice and VETTED are separate companies. They are affiliated through common ownership by Chris Warburton, VETTED’s co-founder.
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.