The Independence Fund Applauds Secretary Robert Wilkie's Decision To Immediately Stop All Demotions And Discharges From The VA Caregiver Program

WASHINGTON, Dec. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, during questioning at a joint House and Senate hearing, Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Robert Wilkie stated he would not demote or discharge any Caregivers from the VA Caregiver program until he could assure national regulations in place to protect Caregivers were being properly followed in the field. Some Caregivers – the hidden heroes to wounded, ill and injured Veterans – have recently experienced unannounced demotions to their tiered financial support status, while others were inexplicably dropped from the Caregiver program altogether.

"Secretary Wilkie should be commended for immediately stopping these recent and ridiculous demotion and discharge determinations by the VA," said Bob Carey, Chief Advocacy Officer at the Independence Fund. "The day-to-day obstacles faced by the Caregivers and families of catastrophically wounded Veterans is already a lifetime challenge. Nothing could be worse than a Caregiver suddenly finding out that their financial support, or health insurance, was canceled by an unknown VA official or some obscure VA policy."

The VA has previously asserted that some of the recent demotion and discharge determinations were just unique deviations from established VA policy. Without the decisive and firm leadership of Secretary Wilkie, such deviations could have become the norm.

"The Caregiver program called for in the recently passed VA MISSION Act can avoid these types of problems in the future," said Carey, "if we can establish and enforce national Caregiver eligibility standards that apply to both initial determinations and annual re-evaluations. Now is the time to establish a permanent Caregiver designation for our most catastrophically disabled Veterans so they and their Caregivers can stop worrying about getting demoted or dropped."

The Independence Fund is a 501c3, national Veterans Service Organization, serving the unmet needs of catastrophically wounded Veterans, Caregivers, and their families. Since 2007, they have delivered more than $60 million in direct support to wounded Veterans, their Caregivers, and families. Learn more at www.IndependenceFund.org.

SOURCE The Independence Fund