Legion attends caregiver focus group

On Oct. 13, Denise Williams – assistant director for Health Policy in The American Legion Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Division – attended and participated in the second phase of the Caregiver Legislative Focus Group hosted by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The purpose of the meeting was to continue to provide feedback, thoughts and suggestions on the caregiver legislation implementation process from the veterans service organizations community.

During the discussion it was noted that it is imperative to get some clear guidelines or a standardize system so that the interdisciplinary team that conducts the assessment has something as a point of reference when making the decision. Other heavily debated areas were:

• The determination of eligibility.

• The time frame when the stipend should start.

• How to determine the amount of stipend.

The American Legion will continue to participate in the discussions and keep abreast of this vital issue.