New VA Program Helps Disabled Veterans

Program Shown to Reduce Hospital Stays, Improve Quality of Life for Veterans Comes to Vermont and New Hampshire:

A national Veterans Administration program that keeps disabled veterans out of the hospital and improves their quality of life is coming to Vermont and New Hampshire.

The Medical Foster Home program, based at the regional VA headquarters in White River Junction, is aimed at veterans who are no longer able to live independently, placing them in homecare settings with a qualified single adult or a family. Sponsored by 113 VA’s around the country, the program has served over 3,100 veterans since it was created in 2000.

A key part of the program is the Home Based Primary Care team, which provides all primary medical care for the veteran in the MFH program. The team also educates the caregiver and provides care and support for the veteran and the caregiver.

Caregivers’ homes must be located within an hour’s drive of a Home Based Primary Care team.
Currently, there are HBPC teams in Brattleboro, Bennington, Burlington, White River Junction, Rutland and Littleton, N.H.

The caregivers supervise veterans twenty-four hours every day. They supply meals, make sure the veteran is safe and takes his/her medications, take the veteran to specialty medical appointments and other various activities. Caregivers are carefully and thoroughly assessed and trained.

“The qualities we look for in caregivers are compassion, kindness and responsibility,” said White River Junction V. A. program coordinator, Jim Pierce. “The main concern is safety for the veterans, the caregivers and their families.”

To qualify, caregivers must be twenty-one years of age or older, own or rent their own home, complete trainings in caregiving, and pass the application process. It is also required that there are two back-up caregivers. The homes are assessed by a Fire and Safety Officer and must pass federal, state, and local standards.

Fees paid to homecare providers range between $2,000 and $4,000 a month, depending on the severity of care the veteran needs. Veterans can use their VA pension benefits and social security income, as well as family resources and other monetary sources to pay for the MFH Program.

According to the latest statistics from the National Institute of Health and the National Medical Foster Home program, there is a 27% decrease in hospital admissions, 69% reduction of days in the hospital, and a 34% reduction in emergency room visits when veterans are in the Medical Foster Home program. There are significant improvements in quality of life for 95% of the veterans. Quality of life improvements are in the areas of emotions, mood, health, and/or physical conditions. Also, the satisfaction rate of the veterans and caregivers in the MFH program is 93%.

The program is looking for caregivers and veterans at this time. To learn more about the program, contact Jim Pierce at the White River Junction VA at 802-295-9363, x5337 or 802-359-2815. The toll free number is (866) OUR-VETS (687-8387).