The Family Guide to Veteran Caregiver Compensation

We've written about specific VA programs elsewhere in detail. This is the landscape view — because "how do I get compensated for caring for a veteran" doesn't have one single answer, and knowing all the paths helps you figure out which one actually applies.

Path 1: VA's PCAFC Stipend

The most well-known path: the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers pays a monthly stipend directly to a designated family caregiver of a veteran with a 70%+ service-connected disability rating and a documented ongoing personal care need. We've written a full guide to this program.

Path 2: Medicaid Self-Directed Care Programs

Separate from VA entirely — most states run Medicaid self-directed or consumer-directed care programs that can pay a family member, sometimes even a spouse depending on the state, to provide care. This applies based on the veteran's (or their spouse's) Medicaid eligibility, not their VA disability rating.

Path 3: Being Hired as a Private Caregiver

In some situations, a family member is directly hired and paid by the veteran or their family as a private caregiver, outside of any government program — essentially an informal or formal employment arrangement, with its own tax and legal considerations worth discussing with an accountant or attorney.

Path 4: Veteran Directed Care (VDC)

A VA program that gives an eligible veteran a flexible budget to hire their own caregivers directly — in some cases, that can include paying a family member. We've written a separate guide to this program.

Why Knowing All Four Matters

Families often find one path, assume it's the only option, and stop looking — when a different path might actually fit their specific situation better, or when combining approaches makes more sense than relying on just one.

Where to Get Help Sorting This Out

An accredited Veterans Service Officer can help identify which VA-specific paths apply. For Medicaid options, your state's Medicaid office or an elder law attorney familiar with self-directed care programs is the right resource, since these vary significantly by state.

How This Connects to Home Care

Whichever path applies — or if none of them quite fit — professional non-medical home care remains an option to fill gaps a family caregiver's own compensated hours don't cover.

Our 7th Week Guarantee

No long contracts. If you don't feel the difference after six weeks of care at 20 or more hours a week, your seventh week is free.

Get Started

Call us at (801) 401-3515 to talk through your specific situation.

Learn more about PCAFC, Veteran Directed Care, and our veterans home care services.