“Families of veterans who served before the recent wars won’t be added to the Veterans Affairs caregivers program until summer 2020 at the earliest, department officials announced Wednesday.”
“The delay had been expected for months, as VA officials struggled to get new technology and processes in place to handle an influx of new applicants to the program. Currently, only families of troops injured after Sept. 11, 2001, are eligible for program stipends, which can total several thousand dollars a month.”
“Under the VA Mission Act passed last year, veterans who sustained a serious military-related injury before May 7, 1975, were supposed to be able to enroll starting this fall. Now, they’ll have to wait at least June 2020 for entry, if not longer.”
“That’s because department officials still must certify their information technology systems are ready for use before the new families can be added to the program. VA officials said they hope to begin integrating a new ‘off the shelf’ management system next month, with work scheduled through the winter in spring with hopes of completion by next summer…”
“The timeline shift also pushes back eligibility for families of veterans who served from 1975 to 2001, from fall 2021 to fall 2022 at the earliest. Lawmakers have included a phased application period for different generations of service members to ease pressure on VA systems…” Read the full article here.
Source: Expansion of veteran caregiver program delayed until at least next summer – By Leo Shane III, September 25, 2019. Military Times.
