The VA Program That Pays an Agency Directly

Every VA benefit we've written about so far — Aid & Attendance, Housebound, Veteran Directed Care, PCAFC — pays cash to the veteran or a family caregiver. This one is structurally different: the VA pays a contracted home care agency directly, and the veteran often never sees a bill.

What the H/HHA Program Actually Is

The Homemaker and Home Health Aide (H/HHA) program is a clinical health benefit delivered through VA's Community Care Network — not a pension enhancement. A veteran enrolled in VA health care who's assessed as needing help with daily activities can be referred to a contracted home care agency, which the VA pays directly for the approved hours.

Who Qualifies

Enrollment in VA health care and a documented clinical need, assessed by the veteran's VA care team. No service-connected disability rating is required — eligibility is based on medical need, not disability percentage. That's a meaningful difference from PCAFC, which does require a 70% rating.

What It Actually Costs the Veteran

For many veterans, especially those with service-connected disabilities, there's no copay at all. Others may have a copay tied to their VA disability status and income, but it's typically far less than paying privately, and copays cap around $15 a day for those who owe one.

What's Covered

The program splits into two categories: home health aide tasks (bathing, dressing, toileting, eating, mobility) and homemaker tasks (light housekeeping, laundry, meal prep, grocery shopping). It can also provide respite coverage for a family caregiver, and can be combined with other VA home and community-based programs rather than requiring a single choice.

How to Actually Start This Process

Ask your VA primary care team specifically for a referral to the Homemaker and Home Health Aide program — sometimes framed as a "Geriatrics and Extended Care Consult." A social worker or nurse will assess care needs, typically over the phone or in person, to determine how many hours are medically necessary before a contracted agency gets involved.

How This Connects to Interim

We're an approved VA provider, and this is exactly the kind of program that connects a family to an agency like ours through VA's own referral process rather than private pay. If your loved one is enrolled in VA health care and hasn't asked about this program yet, it's worth bringing up at their next appointment — we're happy to talk through what that referral conversation should sound like.

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 — whether your care is VA-funded, privately paid, or a mix of both.

Get Started

Call us at (801) 401-3515 to talk through whether H/HHA or another VA program fits your family's situation.

Learn more about our veterans home care services, VA Aid & Attendance, and the Veteran Directed Care program.