Veteran Directed Care Program Newsletter

July 17, 2026

Save the Date: August Veteran Directed Care (VDC) Office Hours

Please join the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for the August VDC Office Hours on August 5 from 12:00-1:00pm EST. During this session, VHA and ACL staff will address unanswered questions that were submitted via chat during the June VDC Office Hours.

You can register to attend the Office Hours here.

Policy Spotlight: Annual/Global Budgets

Under the VDC program, Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) establish a comprehensive budget that covers the full duration of a Veteran's authorization period. This is referred to as the Veteran's global budget and typically covers a 12-month authorization period.

The VAMCs and VDC providers are responsible for monitoring authorization expiration dates and ensuring that re-authorization requests are submitted and received at least 30 days prior to the end of the initial authorization period. Note: VA is not required to reimburse for care provided outside of an active authorization period.

To determine a Veteran's budget, VAMCs use the Personal Care Services Case Mix Tool (PCS CMT) to determine a Veteran's level of need for in-home assistance. Completion of the PCS CMT leads to a case-mix score, which yields a case-mix rate. This case-mix rate is a bundled rate that includes the Veteran's annual budget, estimated monthly budget, and VDC provider administrative fees.

 A Veteran's monthly spending plan is not the same as an annual budget; spending plans cover the expected monthly expenses that a Veteran pays for goods, services, and personal care, including one-time expenditures, as needed. It is permissible for Veteran spending to exceed the monthly spending plan in any given month if all spending is documented in the approved spending plan and does not exceed the Veteran's total annual budget. VAMCs are not required to reimburse for any VDC spending that exceeds the Veteran's total annual budget.

Additional information on annual or global budgets can be found in the Operations Manual Template, the VDC Billing and Invoicing Guide, and the following VDC Office Hour sessions:

• Peer Engagement, Fiscal Year 2022 Case Mix Rates, Global Budgets, and Goods and Services Approval

• Tips and Tools to Monitor Monthly Veteran Spending - Monthly Service Reports

Celebrating Veteran Success Stories

We extend sincere gratitude to all VDC providers for your continued support of our Veterans and the VDC program. Below are two inspiring success stories from West-Central Independent Living Solutions (WILS) and Independent Living, Inc.  Thank you to WILS and Independent Living, Inc. for their great work to support Veterans!

WILS

A Veteran shared: "I need it not only to assist me at home but to get to the doctor's office, since I can't drive and I can't afford to pay for transportation. It takes away the mental stress of just getting to the doctor. The VDC program helps with everything from food to mobility. It keeps me from being depressed." He rated his overall experience with VDC as "very satisfied."

Independent Living, Inc.

The daughter of a Veteran shared: "Having my dad in the VDC program has changed life for me and my family. We were struggling emotionally and financially, but with the help of the VDC program and the compassionate treatment we received from Independent Living, Inc., we are now able to catch our breath while ensuring dad is being taken care of during his end-of-life phase. I would like to take a moment to thank the staff of Independent Living, Inc., for going ABOVE AND BEYOND in every aspect. They have been a blessing from above helping me through every step of hiring caregivers, getting them approved, and maintaining payroll and budgets. They are exemplary. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

We encourage all VDC participants and providers to submit success stories using the dedicated VDC Success Stories form. We look forward to featuring more stories in future communications.

Reminders

ACL's No Wrong Door (NWD) Website VDC Page: Visit the VDC page on the NWD website for helpful resources. If you do not find a resource, please email veterandirected@acl.hhs.gov. 

VDC Monthly Reporting Tool: Please continue submitting your program's data at the end of each month using this form. This helps track the program's impact accurately. If your VDC provider or VAMC is missing from the tool, email veterandirected@acl.hhs.gov with the correct details.

Veteran Success Stories: Please use the Veteran Success Story form to share inspiring VDC success stories, including positive Veteran stories from their VDC enrollment experience, promising practices as a VDC provider, or stories of success that you've heard from the Veterans you serve. We'd love to feature them in future newsletters!

VDC Technical Assistance (TA) Community: VDC providers can share peer-created resources, join in on discussions, and get information on events related to VDC on the VDC TA Community! Create an account at www.ta-community.com or reach out to veterandirected@acl.hhs.gov for assistance with getting access to the Community.

Technical Assistance: Have a question? Need guidance? Want to share good news about your VDC program? Reach out to the VDC Federal Technical Assistance Team at veterandirected@acl.hhs.gov. We look forward to hearing from you!

VDC Email Distribution List: Ensure you and your team receive important updates. If you are not yet subscribed, add your information here: VDC Email Distribution List form. We value your partnership supporting Veterans through the Veteran Directed Care program.

Thank you for your continued partnership and dedication to supporting Veterans through the Veteran Directed Care program.