VA Extended Care Services and Geriatrics

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What Are VA Geriatrics and VA Extended Care Services?

U.S. veterans with mesothelioma and other chronic illnesses who are entering the later stages of life often require long-term care. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers geriatrics and extended care benefits to help these veterans.

VA geriatrics and extended care programs include:

• Home-based care
• Hospice services
• Stays at nursing homes or assisted living facilities
• Palliative care

VA geriatrics and extended care programs allow veterans to get the care they need, whether in their homes or a long-term care facility.

Further, many VA geriatrics and extended care services allow the veteran’s loved ones and caregivers to take a break, so they can recharge and provide the highest level of care possible.

We can help you or a veteran with mesothelioma that you love access VA geriatric services and other benefits right now. See if you can connect with our VA-accredited attorneys to get started.

List of Geriatrics and Extended Care Services for Veterans

The VA provides many different types of services for veterans who need extended care. Learn about some of the top VA geriatrics and extended care services that can help veterans with mesothelioma below.

Geriatric Evaluation

Through a geriatric evaluation, a veteran’s health needs will be assessed by a medical team and a plan will be put in place to meet them.

Any veteran can get a geriatric evaluation at any time, as long as they are enrolled in VA health care. The VA recommends this evaluation if a veteran has severe age-related health issues, such as dementia, vision or hearing loss, and more.

Geriatric evaluations can take place at a hospital, a VA outpatient clinic, or in the veteran’s home. In the latter case, a Geriatric Patient Aligned Care Team visits the veteran in their home to evaluate them.

The VA suggests that the veteran’s caregivers attend the geriatric evaluation so they can understand the best ways to provide care.

GeriPACT

Through a service called GeriPACT, veterans can get at-home care from a team of medical professionals for chronic diseases, limited mobility, memory problems, and other issues.

GeriPACT team members offer both physical and mental health care services. They will also work closely with caregivers so veterans can have the best quality of life possible.

Home-Based Primary Care

Home-based primary care offers medical services to veterans who have complex needs and can't easily travel to a VA medical center.

Veterans will be assigned a VA health care team (including nurses, physicians, social workers, and more) to meet their needs.

This program also helps veterans experiencing isolation and relieves caregivers who are burnt out.

Hospice Care

The VA’s hospice care services help veterans who are at the end of their lives make the most of their time. Veterans with late-stage mesothelioma may benefit from hospice care, as this cancer is often terminal.

The VA’s hospice program involves a multidisciplinary team that works with veterans and their families to create a plan of care.

“What we really focus on is pain and symptoms. When we talk about pain and symptoms, we’re looking at physical pain, emotional pain, and spiritual pain.”

— Sheila Kennedy, VA clinical social worker

Social workers, doctors, nurses, psychologists, chaplains, and other medical professionals may be part of a veteran's hospice care team.

Palliative Care

The VA’s palliative care program focuses on relieving suffering and controlling symptoms to help veterans live as comfortably and happily as possible.

A VA palliative care team may include:

• Mental health providers
• Nurses
• Physicians
• Psychologists
• Social workers

Veterans with mesothelioma can access palliative care at any point in their illness. They can continue to see their regular doctors for treatment while getting palliative care.

File for mesothelioma VA benefits now with our team’s help to access palliative care and other geriatric services that you may qualify for.

Skilled Home Health Care

Skilled home health care is a program that brings in VA-paid medical professionals to serve veterans with special care needs who live far away from military hospitals. It's usually a temporary service rather than an ongoing one.

Skilled home health care helps veterans who need services like:

• Case management
• Intravenous (IV) antibiotics
• Occupational therapy
• Physical therapy
• Speech therapy
• Wound care

A doctor will determine if a veteran with mesothelioma needs this level of care. If so, medical personnel will meet the veteran in their home.

Assisted Living Options for Veterans

Veterans can get different types of assisted living services with help from the VA.

Assisted living options for veterans include:

• Adult Day Health Care: Through this program, veterans stay at a nursing facility during the daytime with other veterans under the supervision of trained staff. This allows the veterans to get high-quality care while still living in their homes the rest of the time.
• Adult Family Homes and Medical Foster Homes: Veterans live in a private home where VA-trained caregivers can help them 24/7. There are fewer residents than nursing facilities — typically, only a few people live in the home at a time.
• Homemaker and Home Health Aides: These professionals provide at-home care to veterans under the supervision of a registered nurse.
• Nursing Homes: Veterans will live in a facility where a team of staff provide round-the-clock care. The VA has its own nursing homes called Community Living Centers. Veterans may also be able to get care from civilian homes that the VA has partnered with. Further, some states run facilities specifically for veterans called state veterans homes.

The VA may or may not pay for assisted living care — it depends on the circumstances in each veteran’s case.

Other VA Geriatrics and Extended Care Benefits for Veterans

There is a wide variety of VA geriatrics and extended care benefits for veterans outside of those listed above. You or a U.S. veteran with mesothelioma that you love may qualify for one or more of the following benefits, depending on your health needs.

Other VA geriatrics and extended care services include:

• Home Based Primary Care (where veterans get at-home medical treatment)
• Rehabilitation programs like physical therapy
• Resources for veterans with dementia
• Telehealth services
• Tips on preparing for the future (advance care planning)

Help for Mesothelioma Caregivers

Many older veterans with mesothelioma have a family member as their primary caregiver. However, caring for a loved one with a chronic illness can be taxing.

Fortunately, the VA has multiple caregiver benefits that can help those who support veterans living with cancers like mesothelioma.

VA caregiver services include:

• Building Better Caregivers: This free online workshop helps caretakers learn practical coping skills needed to care for a veteran at home.
• Caregiver Support Line: This resource connects caregivers with licensed professionals who can help them find VA services, connect with a local caregiver support coordinator, or simply lend a sympathetic ear.
• Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers: This provides veterans' family members with financial services, health insurance, mental health services, and respite care.
• Peer support mentoring program: This connects caregivers to mentors who will give tips on providing care and avoiding burnout.
• Respite care: This is designed to give primary caregivers a break from their daily responsibilities. A third party may enter the home to provide relief, or a veteran could get dropped off at an adult daycare program. In cases where a caregiver will be going out of town, a veteran can stay at a nursing home for a short period.

By accessing these benefits, caregivers can recharge and get the support they need to help veterans with mesothelioma.

How Much Will VA Geriatric Services Cost?

How much VA geriatrics and extended care services will cost depends on a couple of different factors.

These include:

• The services needed: The VA covers the costs of several extended care services, like geriatric evaluations, hospice, and many types of at-home care. Veterans and their families may need to pay out of pocket for other services like nursing home care.
• The veteran’s disability rating: In cases where veterans may be charged a copay, their disability rating can affect how much they pay. Veterans with mesothelioma are usually granted a 100% disability rating, meaning they have no or low copays.
• The veteran’s income: How much a veteran makes also affects their copays.

If VA benefits won't cover the costs of geriatric services, private insurance or Medicaid may be used to pay for some expenses.

We can also help veterans with mesothelioma access financial compensation from the makers of asbestos-containing products to cover medical expenses. These companies used asbestos for decades and hid the fact that it causes serious health problems like mesothelioma.

Get a Free Veterans Packet to find out how you can access mesothelioma compensation now.

Applying for VA Geriatrics and Extended Care Benefits

Older veterans fighting mesothelioma can find support and relief through VA geriatrics and extended care benefits. These services can also make caregiving easier for their family members.

In order to apply for VA geriatrics and extended care benefits, veterans must be enrolled in VA health care.

Our team can help you file for mesothelioma VA health care and other benefits with less stress. Get help filing for VA benefits right now.