Senate Returns Next Week – Time to Restore Section 3 of S.141

If you are a provider under the VA Community Care Network, you see first-hand how important home care is to our veterans and their families. That’s why HCAOA needs your help. Today, if a veteran’s home care costs reach 65% of the cost the Veterans’ Administration would pay for providing care in a nursing home, funding stops, and the veteran and their family would have to pay for the care.

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Senate Bill 141, known as the Elizabeth Dole Act, originally would have lifted the funding cap and permitted the Veterans’ Administration to pay for home care at the same level of care in a facility. However, the Senate VA committee removed this section (Section 3) from the bill because the initial cost estimate was extremely high. HCAOA and other national advocacy groups argued that the estimate was incorrect and urged the Senate to recalculate the cost. Last month, during the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee meeting, the new estimate was announced at $174 million over ten years – significantly lower than the initial estimate.

Now, we must urge every Senator to restore Section 3 of S.141, which would lift the 65% cap and allow veterans to receive the care they need and where they want it – in their own homes. Earlier this week, HCAOA sent a letter to the Senate Veterans’ Affairs’ leaders asking them to restore Section 3. But now we need our members’ help. Please click here to send a message to restore Section 3 of the Elizabeth Dole Act. Veterans deserve to be cared for in their own home.