88 Percent of Veterans Who Applied to the VA Caregiver Program Were Rejected and Denied Benefits
(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator Patty Murray (D-WA), senior member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, and Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) led a bipartisan group of their colleagues in calling for changes to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Caregivers Program after hearing concerns from veterans across Washington state. The Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, on which Senator Murray serves, found that the VA denied 88 percent of applications to the program between October 2020 and August 2021. The VA Caregivers Program offers support and services for eligible veterans and their caregivers, including caregiver education and training, mental health counseling, respite care, and a monthly stipend.
“We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from the VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process,” wrote the senators. “As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.”
The senators’ push is particularly important given that the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ruled last year that veterans should have the opportunity to appeal a denied application to the VA Caregivers Program – and now thousands of veterans are expected to appeal their cases to the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.
The senators also discuss the previous administration’s decision to narrow eligibility for the program and urge the Biden administration to reverse the change. The senators write, “As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge the VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support they deserve.”
The senators are specifically calling for VA to ensure that it has enough Caregiver Support Coordinators to effectively manage the workload and deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers, as well as provide congressional offices and Veteran Service Organizations with uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process.
Senator Murray has long fought to ensure servicemembers and veterans have access to critical services and care they have earned. A longtime champion for strengthening federal investments in caring for veterans, during her time as Chair of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, Senator Murray oversaw the initial implementation of the Caregiver Support Program in 2011. Given the popularity and success of the program, Senator Murray first introduced legislation in 2014 to expand the program to veterans of all eras, reintroducing the legislation in 2015 and 2017. She successfully included provisions from her Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act, which Senator Murray continuously fought to pass for years, in the bipartisan VA MISSION Act to expand the program to include veterans who served before September 11, 2001. During VA’s rule-making process, she pushed back against efforts to curtail eligibility for the expansion of the VA Caregivers Program. In a recent Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee hearing, she pushed Secretary McDonough to review VA’s unnecessarily restrictive criteria for the Caregivers Program to ensure it aligns with Congressional intent.
Earlier this month, Senator Murray helped to pass the Health Care for Burn Pit Veterans Act, increasing access to VA health care for post-9/11 combat veterans, particularly those suffering from diseases caused by toxic exposures. Senator Murray has also led the fight to ensure VA expands fertility treatment and adoption services for veterans and their families through her Veteran Families Health Services Act. She is pushing VA to prioritize the long-term care needs of all veterans—including women veterans, veterans of color, LGBTQ+ veterans, and veterans with disabilities. As chair of the Senate Health Committee, Murray also recently pushed for action to address the mental health challenges harming Americans across the country—including our veterans.
To read the senators’ letter, click here or see below.
Dear Secretary McDonough:
We write to express concern regarding the number of applications to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (Caregivers Program) denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the need for better guidance from VA to the veteran community on how to navigate the Caregivers appeals process. As you consider regulatory changes to bring the Caregivers Program into line with Congressional intent, the Department must also provide clear guidance for veterans, caregivers, and advocates.
Between October 1, 2020, and August 1, 2021, VA received approximately 97,100 Caregivers applications. The total rate of denied applications for this period is 88 percent, according to your August 2021 letter in response to Chairman Tester and Senator Murray’s inquiry.
While we believe VA needs to take all measures to ensure that decisions are made correctly the first time and are in the veteran’s best interest, thousands of veterans will appeal their denied Caregivers Program application in fiscal year 2022 and 2023. In December 2021, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals estimated that 40,368 Caregivers Program cases will be appealed to the Board in fiscal year 2022, and 52,043 cases in fiscal year 2023. If these estimates hold, the Board would not have the resources to process these appeals.
Veterans in our communities and across the country are receiving letters notifying them of their denial and the option to appeal their Caregivers Program application. However, congressional offices and Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) do not have clear and uniform guidance on how to best serve veterans as they navigate the appeals process. For that reason, we ask VA to conduct outreach and provide information to both congressional offices and VSOs, so we can best assist our veterans.
We have also heard from our constituents that VA’s Patient Advocates are not able to provide guidance on navigating the appeals process. We ask that you ensure that there are enough Caregiver Support Coordinators, equipped with all necessary resources, to effectively manage the workload and be able to deliver quality, focused assistance to veterans and their caregivers. VA care like the VA Caregivers Program should not require hurdles and exclusive access on best practices for applying and appealing.
As a nation, we must ensure the physical and mental wellbeing of our veterans, their families, and their caregivers is at the forefront. Because of this, we also continue to urge VA to reverse the previous administration’s regulation limiting eligibility, such as the activity of daily living (ADL) and the 70 percent requirements to ensure that veterans and their caregivers may receive the support that they deserve. Finally, we ask that VA take a holistic approach to how it proceeds with the VA Caregivers Program, including allowing for consideration of how the current backlog in disability ratings decisions and appeals due to COVID-19 have likely led to claims-related obstacles for entry into the Caregivers Program.
The VA serves as a cornerstone of our nation’s system to provide care for veterans. We thank you for your committed leadership to veterans and look forward to the update VA can provide on the VA Caregivers Program.
###
English 
Spanish