Caregiver questions

tony292

PEB Forum Regular Member
PEB Forum Veteran
i have been through a lot recently. Mostly it is in my mind. Being retired and unable to work gives me too much time to think, and those thoughts are mostly negative. I've been through nearly every SSRI, depakote, and ECT.

I still feel terrible
Every day. I don't know what to do except commit myself inpatient. I've done this twice in the last year. It didn't seem to help much. Either I need to live in an inpatient facility full time of I need to have my wife be my caregiver. I feel
Safe when she is around. She is a tiny woman, 4 ft 11'and 95 pounds. She doesn't make me feel safe against outside threats, she does
Make
Me
Feel safe about harm against myself.

I don't want to apply. I feel as if it's a trap. Another CP exam. I just don't know what else to do. Any advice from
Those who have been through and approved for the process is welcome.
 
i have been through a lot recently. Mostly it is in my mind. Being retired and unable to work gives me too much time to think, and those thoughts are mostly negative. I've been through nearly every SSRI, depakote, and ECT.

I still feel terrible
Every day. I don't know what to do except commit myself inpatient. I've done this twice in the last year. It didn't seem to help much. Either I need to live in an inpatient facility full time of I need to have my wife be my caregiver. I feel
Safe when she is around. She is a tiny woman, 4 ft 11'and 95 pounds. She doesn't make me feel safe against outside threats, she does
Make
Me
Feel safe about harm against myself.

I don't want to apply. I feel as if it's a trap. Another CP exam. I just don't know what else to do. Any advice from
Those who have been through and approved for the process is welcome.
Indeed, I can definitely comprehend your feelings nearly everyday too unfortunately! :(

Well, applying for the DoVA Caregiver support program isn't suppose to lend another DoVA C&P examination. It's suppose to be a full clinical review of your DoVA medical records to justify qualification or not. Try calling the Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274 for initial assistance. They seem to be very helpful at least in my opinion.

Otherwise, please visit the Caregiver Eligibility Check website at https://www.va.gov/healthbenefits/resources/caregiver_eligibility_check.asp to find out if you meet the criteria for VA's new program for certain Veterans needing the assistance of a caregiver. Take care brother!

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer!"

Best Wishes!
 
Tony,

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling. The VA has a domiciliary program for Vets with PTSD. But you can apply cor a caregiver without any C&P exam.
 
I think I'm going to apply. Is there any way to find out the questions they ask ahead of time so my wife can be prepared?

I know there is some sort of "assessment" with a scoring system but I do not have the questions they will ask.
 
I think I'm going to apply. Is there any way to find out the questions they ask ahead of time so my wife can be prepared?

I know there is some sort of "assessment" with a scoring system but I do not have the questions they will ask.

Good deal, in retrospect, a military veteran is eligible for a Primary or Secondary Family Caregiver under 38 CFR Parts 17 and 71, Section 71.20 if she or he meets all of the following requirements:

a. Did the Veteran or Servicemember (undergoing medical discharge) incur or aggravate a serious injury including traumatic brain injury, psychological trauma or other mental disorder, in the line of duty, on or after September 11, 2001? YES

b. Due to the serious injury(ies) sustained by the Veteran or Servicemember, is another person (Caregiver) required to assist with the management of personal care functions required in everyday living? YES

c. Based on this serious injury, will the Veteran or Servicemember require the assistance of another person (Caregiver) to be able to manage personal care functions required in everyday living for a continuous period of a minimum of six months? YES

d. Is it clinically in the best interest of the Veteran or Servicemember to participate in the Family Caregiver Program? YES

e. Will the Veteran or Servicemember receive care at home from the Family Caregiver upon admission into the Family Caregiver Program? YES

f. Will the Veteran or Servicemember receive ongoing health care from a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) or other VA health care team? (This does not preclude co-management with a community provider). YES

g. Will the Family Caregiver be providing personal care services without another individual entity, or program providing the same services concurrently? YES

Indeed, there are four distinct steps with the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers application process are listed below as follows:

Step One: Veteran Assessment - A team from VA will coordinate arrangements to complete a clinical eligibility assessment. This will include evaluating what assistance the Veteran needs with activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, grooming, and/or need for supervision or protection.

Step Two: Caregiver Assessment
- The CSC will complete a Primary Family Caregiver assessment to review the care giving role and responsibilities as well as certifying the Caregiver's ability to provide personal care services and/or supervision or protection. A Release of Information and Caregiver certification will be required.

Step Three: Caregiver Training
- Training is completed by the Primary and Secondary Family Caregiver once it is determined the Veteran meets clinical eligibility criteria. Training can be completed in one of three ways:
1) Attending the Family Caregiver classroom training (we highly recommend this option, though locations and availability may vary);
2) Completing the training online (this is a quick and interactive way to complete the training); or
3) Self-study using a workbook and DVD that will be mailed to you.

Step Four: In-Home Visit
- Once the Primary Family Caregiver has completed training, a DoVA clinician will conduct a home visit. The purpose of this visit is to make sure that the Primary Family Caregiver and Veteran has everything they need to be safe and successful in the home setting.

After the In-Home Visit is completed and the DoVA Caregiver Support application is reviewed and approved, the Primary Family Caregiver will begin receiving a monthly stipend based on the Veteran's level of need and required assistance.

Basically, the assessment called "Caregiver Program Veteran Eligibility Assessment" shall include the following areas:

In reference to Activities of Daily Living (ADL) areas, the veteran needs assistance to perform one or more of the following:
  • Dressing and undressing self
  • Personal hygiene
  • Grooming
  • Toileting
  • Feeding self
  • Device
  • Mobility
In reference to Supervision, Protection, Assistance area; the veteran needs supervision, protection, or assistance based on symptoms or residuals of neurological or other impairment or injury (including Traumatic Brain Injury, psychological trauma or other mental disorders) due to any ONE of the following:
  • Seizures
  • Difficulty with planning and organizing
  • Safety risks
  • Difficulty with sleep regulation
  • Delusions/hallucinations
  • Difficulty with recent memory
  • Self-regulation
The ADL and Supervision/protection scales are scored as follows:

High Dependence: 28-21
Moderate Dependence: 20-13
Low Dependence: 12-1

As such, the scoring guide is as follows:

4 = TOTAL ASSISTANCE (Veteran completes < 25% of task/activity or is unable to do task without assistance)
3 = MAXIMAL ASSISTANCE (Veteran completes 25-49% of task/activity with some hands on help)
2 = MODERATE ASSISTANCE (Veteran completes 50-75% of task/activity with some hands on help)
1 = MINIMAL ASSISTANCE (Veteran completes 75% or more of task/activity with supervision coaching assistance)
0 = COMPLETE INDEPENDENCE (Veteran completes task/activity without help)

Hope this helps, and take care brother!

Thus, I quite often comment that "possessing well-informed knowledge is truly a powerful equalizer!"

Best Wishes!
 
I had high hopes of getting better. That goal seems far away now. I am back to suicdial thoughts although I am able to push them out of my mind mostly. I did some self harm recently, resulting in a broken finger. Now VA is giving me a hard look again, they want me inpatient but I refuse because it did nothing the first two times I went. I want off this roller coaster. I don't know what to do.
 
Tony, If you ever need anyone to talk to please feel free to reach out to me. I hear you brother when you have nothing to do the mind could just start playing negative thoughts on you. I started to spend a lot more time with my son which helps with some of my issues but there are days I just wanted to be left alone not get out of bed for crap and see no one it also doesn't help when the VA wants to pump you up on all kinds of crazy meds. My wife also applied for the caregiver program she just got a call for a home assessment this Friday and some training she has to do. Don't know if I got approved or not but I will let you know how it goes for me. I rather have my wife as a caregiver then be stuck in the VA.
 
Hello,
It's been awhile. I would like to thank the people running this site. I used it everyday in order to learn what was happening. I was medically retired at 19.3 years. Anyways for the most part what I learned form this site helped me get all the benefits I deserved for my family and myself. It was not and is not easy but without the ability to ask a random question and find a answer helped immensely(sorry if it's in the wrong thread) . So now I am back with a question or two, four and half year post medical retirement .

I am a caregiver for my wife, we are both dual military, 100% PT, SSDI, and medically retirement for myself at 80%. I have gone as long as I could and can no longer make my body do what it needs to do to be a caregiver daily for my wife, mentally the brain is slipping more and I can tell. Nobody is in danger but the quality of her life is decreasing because I can no longer function, like most of us we roll through the pain till you fall, that is no different in civilian life, but it not the right answer either for yourself. Since we served for so long we like most have no really family or friends, let alone a individual that would live and care for us. Now we do, and since I am entited to apply for a caregiver, and as a caregiver I know I need and qualify for one. My wife should be a tier 3, but as most of you have seen they decided to cutback and save at the cost of all of us and moved her to a tier 2, which from what I read, caused quite a stir in the community as well. I even appealed her reduction and got no respect with a reply other than no.

My question is:

Any advice from people that have gone through the process of dual military couples that have a singular caregiver within the household, and does anybody have the interview checklist form number that the nurses use on the house visit. Just like you compensation letter, it tells you why you didn't qualify higher, having the checklist will allow me to understand the questions in the right context. I have found that most of us play webmd at the VA self diagnose or don't understand the context of the question and we disqualify ourselves from benefits we deserve by just answering the question wrong or over talking. My local CSC told me to look at it and compare it to the first one my wife took, and figure out where the point reduction is. She told me it was online and I could get it from myhealth. So I go to look and guess what, you need an ultra premium account instead of just a premium now, so fyi the local VA can upgrade you. Anyways it wasn't on there or I wouldn't ask. Just the form number, google can get the rest.

"just because I look and act crazy doesn't make me stupid"
 
Does anybody know anyone that was approved for caregiver due to illness?
 
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