VETERAN DIRECTED CARE PROGRAM - KEEPS VETS AT HOME INSTEAD OF NURSING HOMES

This program uses VA funds to help any elderly or disabled Vet remain home with loved ones instead of needing nursing home care.

by Wes Carter

WHAT? VA PROGRAM PAYS TO HELP VETERANS AVOID NURSING HOMES AND LIVE INDEPENDENTLY!

REQUIREMENTS: ONLY A NEED AND AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE

INTRODUCTION

In Colorado, this terrific program is currently available to Veterans living in these counties: City and County of Denver, Adams, Lane, Larimer, Arapahoe, Clear Creek, Douglas, Gilpin and Jefferson, Boulder, Washington, and the City and County of Broomfield.

Veterans Health Administration launched Veteran Directed Care (VDC) to help Veterans with disabilities of all ages and their families pay for needed services in their own homes and communities. VDC is an exciting and comprehensive VA program, open to all veterans in those counties, regardless of service-connection.

VDC delivers home and community-based long-term service and support, giving Veterans more choices and control over nearly all types of care they receive in their homes and communities. This program combines the hands-on experience and skills of local medical and service providers with the VA’s extensive resources to provide additional opportunities to avoid nursing home placement and stay independent in your own home

Under the VDC Program, Veterans (or their caregivers) manage their own flexible VA-provided spending budgets, hire and supervise their own workers, including family or friends, and purchase what’s needed to live independently. The key point again: VA gives the Veteran a budget to pay for this!

Thousands of Veterans have already signed up with VDC, including the elderly, and younger, severely injured Veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation New Dawn. The keys to this program are an Honorable Discharge, the need for it, and availability of VDC where you live. There is no financial test, no need for a VA disability rating, and there’s no impact on any Social Security or other disability program.

A Veteran in the VDC Program is supported by: a VA program coordinator to oversee quality, satisfaction and service delivery; a person-centered counselor from an Area Agency on Aging, Aging & Disability Resource Center or Center for Independent Living to assist in finding and/or training workers caring for the Veteran’s needs.

ENROLLED VETERANS:

• Receive a comprehensive assessment and care planning assistance

• Decide for themselves, or with a participant representative, what mix of goods and services will best meet their needs

• Manage a flexible, individual budget. Funds are provided by VA and used by the veteran to pay for services and supplies to remain independent in the community.

• Hire and supervise their own workers, including family or friends

• Get financial management and support services available if needed

• Use traditional service providers, or an overall contractor or palliative care provider, if desired, to coordinate care

TARGETED VETERANS IN VDC

All Veterans enrolled in the Eastern Colorado VA Health Care System are eligible to participate in the VDC program when the Veteran is “in need of nursing home care” and interested in self-directed care. The determination of whether a Veteran is “in need of nursing home care” is made by the VAMC.

The VDC Program is targeted to Veterans whose home care needs exceed the average number of hours generally available through the Homemaker/Home Health Aide (H/HHA) Program. (If the need is more modest than VA  requirements and if the Veteran is service-connected, ask about this homemaker support.)

IS VDC FOR YOU?

Do you want the control and flexibility to live more independently by choosing how and when you purchase your goods or services? Can you be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and dismissing your workers and services providers? If so, the VDC Program might be for you! If you know another vet who might benefit, pass the word!

Disabled Veteran Property Tax Exemption: What A Convoluted History!

Amazing! And pretty disappointing, too, with what's been done to our veterans and
their survivors. 

Let's review the confusing history of this mess. Just follow the explanation of how we've tried but only partly succeeded in protecting our disabled veterans.

In 2014 the Colorado legislature passed HB14-1373 to include survivors of totally disabled veterans with the veterans and seniors over age 65 for the small, partial disabled veteran property tax exemption. This was a blatant modification of the state constitution without first bothering the voters for our okay. 

Please understand: We voters first created our state constitution and then authorized constitutional amendments. Years later the legislature took it on themselves (yes, for good reasons, of course) to make changes they felt useful by passing HB14-1373. Regardless of intent or outcome, this was a no-no and an unconstitutional action by the legislature: the legislature has no power to modify or change the constitution. The estimated cost was around $100,000.

They simply did it. Folks involved at the time today agree it "abused" the constitution but hey – they did it anyway.

Regardless of procedure, that was a good thing with a very small footprint, not likely to invite any challenge: Indeed, there has been none. I can't find any notice ever made about this "extra-constitutional" legislative action that added a few hundred widow(ers) to a program already attracting attention for its cost. I make mention of it only because it was done and it should be done again!

You see, the legislature passed SCR06-001 in 2006, then presented it to Colorado voters as Referendum E. We approved it overwhelmingly, extending the senior property tax exemption to a few thousand totally and permanently disabled veterans. The original version of that tax exemption covered only seniors and its genesis was HB00-1002. The legislature passed that in 2000 for presentation to the voters as Referendum A. It passed, with an estimated cost of just over a million dollars.

Those two referenda – A in 2000 and then E in 2006, made totally and permanently disabled veterans and seniors as the two categories of homeowners qualified for the property tax exemption. Then HB14-1373 added the veterans' survivors.

Let's review:
1. 2000, Referendum A + HB00-1002 = the senior exemption, apparently also including survivors
2. 2006, Referendum E + SCR06-001 + HB07-1251 = the disabled veteran exemption
3. 2014, HB14-1373 = the disabled veteran's survivor exemption
4. 2016, HB16-1444 = aligned the statute with the constitution, adding disabled military retirees' exemption 

HB21-1002: We must note the dastardly action by the senate in June 2021 rejecting the unanimous house bill for a referendum adding Gold Star Spouses to the disabled veteran property tax exemption. 

Survivors of military personnel lost in the line of duty are presently denied the exemption by a stupid and illogical technicality: The exemption recognizes only survivors of veterans who die while in receipt of the exemption. Dying in combat very obviously prevents a veteran from returning to Colorado to qualify for the exemption, so we deny it to the widow. Dumb in the extreme.

The senate's unpatriotic rejection dishonored Colorado but "saved" the state about $95,000.

Visiting with the Colorado National Guard Conference

Great opportunity to discuss efforts to get property tax exemptions for Gold Star Spouses, not this year but working toward 2022 or 2023 at the latest.

Great opportunity to discuss efforts to get property tax exemptions for Gold Star Spouses, working toward 2022 or 2023 at the latest.