Spouse as caregiver

[Holllie Greene]

Hi All,

Hope everything is going ok.  The more I search (online) the more disillusioned I become.

The issue I am searching for is "spouse as caregiver for a pre-911 100% SC disabled veteran program"  Does anyone have any info that would point me in the right direction?

Also, this is for a SCI veteran (myself having MS I recently found out MS is considered a SCI)

Thank you.

HG

[Berta]

Hollie, this link from Mil.com might help:

http://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/new-va-family-caregiver-program.html

Over 20 years ago when my husband became totally disabled ,the VA did provide what I considered as caregiver help....long before they really had more substantial programs like in the above link.

It was basically bringing him to and from the VAMC by VA Van for a few hours , a few days a week, so that I could run the farm as he could not be left alone while I was in the barn or the fields. Also his VA shrink would see me from time to time to see how I was dealing with the enormous change in our lives and also the VA had a Stroke Club for caretakers of stroke patients, who were tended to by VA staff in the VAMC NH cafeteria during those meetings.

As much as I gripe about VA care ( the stroke was SCed under 1151 about a year ago...over 2 decades after the VA caused it)

I was and still am very grateful for the above things VA did for us.

 

This is not your situation, for what your spouse needs,  but I am sure there might be something in this link to help you, as the VA seems to have expanded their caregiver program beyond the post 9-11 regulations.

Mil.com also surely has some discussions on this as well.

When my daughter was in the military, another airman asked her about the GI bill as he could not make sense at all out of the VA web site's GI bill info (neither could I)  so I gave her the Military.com site and he got much better explanation there , on GI bill ,than at the VA web site.

 

 

 

[Holllie Greene]

Thank you for the link Berta, I will check it out.  The VA rep (at the 1-800 number) told me my hubby and I could go to the closest clinic and ask for a form he can fill out.  I posed a scenario to her (we walk in, explain what we need and they will give us the form and she said "yes", somehow I doubt this.

Although the rep was as helpful as she could be she thought my husband was the veteran. 

Thank you again Berta.

HG 

[Holllie Greene]

Hi Berta,

It seems the care giver programs are for post 911 Veterans and I am a pre-911 Veteran.  I always thought a Veteran was a Veteran.

On a side note...I called the "crown jewel" neurology dept. and their voice mail machine is on.  Unbelievable.  This is how people become cynical, jaded, and disillusioned, in my opinion.

Have a good weekend.

HG