MOAA joined 11 other advocacy groups in a letter to President Biden this month pressing the White House to release proposed changes to a key VA caregiver benefit program – one that’s been in limbo for years as proposed improvements have yet to take shape.

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) took shape in 2011 and was initially designed solely for those caring for post-9/11 veterans with serious injuries. That changed in 2018 with plans to expand PCAFC to cover veterans of all eras, but the rollout of new criteria led to a series of problems, delays, and an eventual pause on disenrollments that’s been in effect for more than two years.

The Sept. 4 letter makes clear that “uncertainty over PCAFC’s future continues to have a real and meaningful impact on the well-being, quality of life, and financial security of thousands of current and prospective PCAFC participants.”

[READ THE LETTER]

Other signees include the Elizabeth Dole Foundation, Disabled American Veterans, and Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Assisting All Caregivers

While MOAA has worked with the VA to inform its PCAFC criteria, we’ve also been active with the department and with Congress to ensure all veteran caregivers receive needed support. Some of these benefits are outlined in the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (H.R. 8371), omnibus legislation that would, in part:

• Expand mental health care services to all veteran caregivers.
• Better align PCAFC benefits with available VA geriatric care options.
• Ease the PCAFC application process, to include identifying external support for caregivers seeking to join the program or navigate available VA benefits.

[TAKE ACTION: Ask Your Lawmakers to Support the Dole Act]

“An aging veteran population makes caregiver support even more important to the overall health of our veteran community,” said Cmdr. René Campos, USN (Ret), MOAA’s senior director of Government Relations. “MOAA’s work on this issue will continue across all fronts – the administration, the VA, Congress, and especially communication with our members, to ensure they’re receiving the support they need and the benefits they’ve earned. Not only does member feedback drive our advocacy, information we can relay to the VA can improve care for those in need – both now and in the future.”

Learn more about the PCAFC timeline from Military.com at this link, and find out how to apply for the VA caregiver program at this link. Keep up with this and other key MOAA advocacy issues at our Advocacy News page.