Veteran Directed Care Program Newsletter

March 13, 2026

Aging Strong with VA: Veteran Directed Care

The Aging Strong with VA series highlights VA programs that support Veterans and their caregivers. The latest episode features Deputy Secretary Paul R. Lawrence, PhD, who provides an overview of the Veteran Directed Care (VDC) Program. Dr. Lawrence explains how VDC empowers eligible Veterans to take control over their long term services and how it promotes Veteran independence, choice, and flexibility. Watch the full episode here.

Save the Date: March VDC Educational Webinar

Please join ACL and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) for the March VDC Educational Webinar on March 17th from 3-4pm EST. The session will include updates from ACL, announcements from the VHA, and an overview of VDC policy updates. The webinar will also include a live demo of the new VDC Employee Wage Tool, which helps Veterans and their authorized representatives determine appropriate wages for their employees. Register for the webinar here. 

Updated Financial Management Services (FMS) Guidance

As of December 4, 2025, new VDC providers (Hubs or Sole Proprietors) must subcontract with a qualified FMS agency for at least two years before they can perform FMS functions internally (if preferred). Subcontracted FMS entities are required to provide the essential functions of monthly service reports and claims preparation and submission. The updated FMS guidance outlines limited exceptions and the process for submitting exemption requests.

The updated FMS guidance is attached and available here. Please direct any questions or concerns to veterandirected@acl.hhs.gov.

VDC Annual Survey - Thank You!

We appreciate the 92 Sole Proprietors and 27 Hubs who participated in the 2025 VDC Annual Survey. Here are some key highlights from the responses:

1. Response Rate: About 68% of operational VDC providers responded.
2. Average Person-Centered Counselor to Veteran Ratios:

   VDC Provider Type	Average Ratio
   Sole Proprietor (n=78)	1 PCC: 24 Veterans
   Hub (n=20)	1 PCC: 26 Veterans
   Spoke (n=10)	1 PCC: 22 Veterans

3. Electronic Billing: Roughly 76% of responding providers submit VDC invoices electronically.
4. FMS: VDC providers reported using 42 unique FMS providers, based off the 115 providers who answered this question.

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. 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.