Today, we celebrate Veterans Day, a holiday meant to honor all veterans of the uniformed services who served or are still serving during times of peace and war. These men and women earned precious benefits for their service, and many of those benefits are often underutilized or difficult to access.
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) now offers a resource guide through their member organizations to assist staff, patients, and families in identifying, understanding, and acquiring appropriate Veteran benefits through the Veterans Administration and each State’s Department of Veterans Services. The Veteran Benefits and Resources for Hospice and Palliative Care Patients guide includes information for veterans and their families regarding military pay, retirement pay, and survivor benefits through the Defense Finance and Accounting Services.
Tom Koutsoumpas CEO of Capital Caring Health and NPHI stated : “We are honored to have worked closely with the Virginia Veterans Services staff to now provide this valuable and first ever Guide for Veterans in the State of Virginia coping with life threatening illness—so that they and their caregivers know the full range of benefits available. Additionally, we hope to soon finalize Guides for Maryland and Washington D.C.”
Additionally, the guide includes comprehensive sections on care benefits, burial benefits, Arrears of Pay and Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) annuity and filing claims. It provides information on qualifying for disability benefits, a military history checklist, and national plus local points of contact.
“One daughter shared that her father has never used any resources at the VA, and the family felt, with his increased needs, that it was time to help him “look into anything he could be eligible for” but did not know where to begin. The team offered the Veterans Resource Guide to the family, and they were very grateful to have it to review. Often a family doesn’t even know what questions to ask to secure resources that can make a difference. The Guide was such a great starting place for them.” Julie Alley, Veterans Service Liaison, Hospice of Cincinnati
This guide was made possible by the NPHI Innovation Lab with the support of the EagleForce Warrior Foundation, Partner Plus Media, as well as numerous subject matter experts across various NPHI member programs. For more information regarding NPHI, please visit www.hospiceinnovations.com or call 1-844-GET-NPHI (438-6744) with any questions.
The National Partnership for Healthcare and Hospice Innovation (NPHI) is a collaborative of almost 100 not-for-profit, community-integrated hospice and palliative care providers dedicated to ensuring patients and their families have access to care that reflects their individual goals, values, and preferences. Representing providers from 35 states and the District of Columbia, NPHI and its members help design more innovative and effective models of care, advocate for comprehensive and community-integrated care customized to meet each person’s unique needs, and build collaboration between national thought leaders, decision-makers, and other healthcare stakeholders to improve hospice care.