Veteran Directed Care Program Newsletter

January 16, 2026

Happy New Year!

The Veteran Directed Care (VDC) Technical Assistance Team wishes you a Happy New Year! We are excited for the year to come and look forward to many opportunities for VDC program expansion. The VDC program continues to reach new milestones, with data from Administration for Community Living's Monthly Reporting Tool projecting 15,000 Veterans served early in the new year! 2026 kicks off with over 300 Aging and Disability Network Agencies (ADNAs) partnering with 110 Veterans Affairs Medical Centers (VAMCs) to provide VDC services in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Northern Marianas Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. This is a major accomplishment, reflecting the commitment of VDC providers and VAMCs across the country. Congratulations and thank you for your work serving Veterans, their caregivers, and their communities. We look forward to continuing this work and reaching new milestones in the coming year!

Beyond the Salute: How Independent Living Services Help Veterans with Disabilities Thrive

In celebration of Veterans Day, the Center for People With Disabilities (CPWD) posted a blog, Beyond the Salute: How Independent Living Services Help Veterans with Disabilities Thrive by Jude Sky. The blog highlights CPWD's Veterans Independence Program (VIP), which operates under the Home and Community-Based Care arm of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VIP program allows Veterans to receive care and live independently in their own homes and communities while choosing their own caregivers. As a VDC Super Hub, CPWD's VIP program reaches Veterans in Colorado, southern Wyoming, Nebraska, parts of western Iowa, and parts of California. The blog includes a video testimonial from Mark, a Veteran who receives care through the VIP program. Thank you to CPWD for sharing this blog, and for their incredible and ongoing work to support Veterans!

Revised Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 VDC Budget Calculator

The VA VDC Technical Assistance Team revised formulas in the attached FY 2026 VDC Budget Calculator to fix rounding errors that occurred in previous versions for Veteran standard episodes of care (SEOC) less than 365 days. Please use the attached FY 2026 VDC Budget Calculator to locate VDC case mix rates by state, county, and case-mix level for new referrals and re-authorizations.

Reminder: VDC Annual Survey - Deadline to Submit is Approaching!

As a reminder, if you are a Hub or Sole Proprietor, please submit your responses to the VDC Annual Survey no later than Wednesday, January 21. ACL collects information each year from VDC Hubs and Sole Proprietors through the VDC Annual Survey, which asks about providers' experiences and current engagement with the VDC program to ascertain best practices, technical assistance opportunities, and themes across VDC programs. Your responses will inform our collective knowledge of the VDC program and technical assistance activities for the next 12 months.

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.