Becoming a home care provider for veterans runs through two separate VA tracks, and the right one depends on who you are. If you’re a family member or someone living with the veteran, you apply to the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) and, if approved as the primary caregiver, receive a monthly stipend. If you operate a commercial home health agency, you join the VA Community Care Network (CCN) through one of two third-party administrators. Different eligibility, different paperwork, different pay structure.
Which Pathway Applies to You
The family caregiver program is for individuals caring for one specific veteran, usually at home and often as a relative or housemate. The Community Care Network is for licensed agencies that want VA referrals for home-based services. The rest of this guide walks each route in order.
Becoming a Family Caregiver Through the PCAFC
Whether the Veteran Qualifies
Before you look at your own eligibility, the veteran has to clear the program’s threshold. The VA requires a “serious injury,” meaning a service-connected disability rated at 70% or higher, whether from a single condition or a combined rating. The condition must create a need for personal care services lasting at least six continuous months, either because the veteran can’t handle everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, or managing medications, or because they need supervision or protection due to a cognitive or neurological condition.1eCFR. 38 CFR Part 71 – Caregivers Benefits and Certain Medical Benefits Offered to Family Members of Veterans
The veteran also has to be enrolled in VA health care. A transitioning servicemember can qualify, but enrollment is required either way.
Whether You Qualify as the Caregiver
You must be at least 18. You then need to fit one of two categories: a family connection (spouse, son, daughter, parent, step-family, or extended family) or someone who lives with the veteran full-time, or commits to doing so if approved.2eCFR. 38 CFR 71.25 – Approval and Designation of Primary and Secondary Family Caregivers Blood or marriage isn’t required; a shared household is.
The VA also screens for any history of abuse or neglect toward the veteran. A finding of either disqualifies you.2eCFR. 38 CFR 71.25 – Approval and Designation of Primary and Secondary Family Caregivers
A veteran can name one primary family caregiver and up to two secondary caregivers, who act as backups. The distinction matters because only the primary caregiver receives the full benefit package.3Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
What You Get if Approved
Every approved caregiver, primary or secondary, receives caregiver education and training, mental health counseling, and travel benefits when accompanying the veteran to medical appointments.3Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
The primary caregiver gets more. The monthly stipend is calculated from the Office of Personnel Management’s GS-4 Step 1 salary for the veteran’s locality, divided by 12 and multiplied by a factor tied to the veteran’s care needs.4VA Caregiver Support Program. PCAFC Monthly Stipend Fact Sheet There are two tiers:
- Level 1 pays 0.625 of the monthly GS-4 Step 1 rate. Using the 2026 base “Rest of U.S.” locality, that comes to roughly $1,896 a month.5OPM.gov. Salary Table 2026-RUS
- Level 2 pays the full monthly rate and applies when the VA determines the veteran can’t sustain themselves in the community. On the same base locality, that’s about $3,034 a month.5OPM.gov. Salary Table 2026-RUS
The dollar amounts move with the veteran’s location; a caregiver in a high-locality area like San Francisco or New York will see a higher stipend than one in a rural area, and the rates update whenever OPM revises the General Schedule.
The VA treats the stipend as a non-taxable benefit, similar to disability compensation. You should not receive a 1099, and the stipend does not go on your federal return.6U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Information for Caregivers – Community Care
Primary caregivers may also qualify for CHAMPVA health coverage if they don’t have other insurance and the veteran meets the disability threshold,7Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). CSP Eligibility Criteria Factsheet at least 30 days a year of respite care, free legal and financial planning assistance related to the veteran’s needs, telehealth therapy through the Virtual Psychotherapy Program for Caregivers, and access to commissaries, exchanges, and military recreation retail facilities.3Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Secondary caregivers do not receive the stipend, CHAMPVA, or respite care.
Filing VA Form 10-10CG
One form covers the application: VA Form 10-10CG. The veteran and the prospective caregiver complete it together, providing full legal names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, current addresses, the VA medical center handling the veteran’s care, and a description of the veteran’s daily limitations.8Veterans Affairs. About VA Form 10-10CG Both parties sign every required section. Incomplete fields and mismatched information are the most common causes of delay, so proof the form before you send it.
You can file three ways:
- Online through the VA’s Caregiver Support Program portal, which returns the fastest acknowledgment of receipt.8Veterans Affairs. About VA Form 10-10CG
- By mail to the 10-10CG Evidence Intake Center, PO Box 5154, Janesville, WI 53547-5154.9VA.gov. VA Form 10-10CG
- In person to a Caregiver Support Coordinator at your local VA medical center.
What Happens After You Apply
The VA runs an administrative intake review to confirm the application is complete. If it passes, the local Caregiver Support Program team schedules a veteran assessment that gathers clinical information and asks the caregiver about the veteran’s daily needs. A clinical assessor completes a functional assessment instrument, and the Centralized Eligibility and Appeals Team (CEAT) then reviews everything against the veteran’s medical records and issues a decision.10U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers Application Process Fact Sheet Approval notices state the stipend level and the benefit start date. Denials explain the reason and outline your review options.
Staying in the Program
Enrollment isn’t set-and-forget. Approved caregivers take part in wellness contact check-ins at least once every 120 days, and at least one contact each year has to be an in-person visit to the veteran’s home.3Veterans Affairs – VA.gov. The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers
As of late 2025, the VA has suspended routine annual reassessments while it reviews eligibility criteria. During this pause, no one is being removed from the program or having support decreased based on reassessments. Reassessments still happen when a caregiver or veteran asks to be considered for a higher stipend level or when there’s evidence of increased care needs.11VA Caregiver Support Program. PCAFC – Reassessment Update
If You’re Denied or Downgraded
For decisions issued on or after February 19, 2019, you can file a supplemental claim with new evidence, a higher-level review for claimed errors (no new evidence, one year to file), or a Board appeal to a Veterans Law Judge (also one year to file).12U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Family Caregiver Program Decision Reviews and Appeals There is also a separate clinical review, started with a written request to the patient advocate at your local VA medical center; a second-level clinical review is available before you escalate to the Board.
Enrolling a Home Health Agency in the VA Community Care Network
If you run a commercial agency rather than caring for an individual veteran, the family caregiver program isn’t the route. Agencies join the VA Community Care Network.
What Your Agency Needs First
Every agency needs a National Provider Identifier, the 10-digit number used across healthcare for billing and administrative transactions.13Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). NPI Fact Sheet You’ll also need active state licensure and professional liability insurance. State licensing fees range from nothing in states without a separate home health license to several thousand dollars, depending on jurisdiction and license type.
Agencies also have to show compliance with Medicare or Medicaid certification standards. That’s the operational and clinical benchmark the VA uses to vet providers. Reimbursement under the CCN follows Medicare rates for Medicare-recognized services, so agencies already set up for Medicare billing will find the payment structure familiar.14U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Community Care – Veterans Care Agreements
Contacting the Right Administrator
The VA uses two third-party administrators across five regions. Optum runs Regions 1 through 3, covering the eastern and midwestern United States. TriWest Healthcare Alliance runs Regions 4 and 5, covering the western states, Hawaii, Alaska, and western U.S. territories.15Veterans Affairs. About Our VA Community Care Network and Covered Services Your agency’s region depends on where it’s located.
Registration starts by contacting the appropriate administrator. Optum’s regions register through CCN Provider Services by phone or through the provider portal; TriWest’s regions register directly with TriWest.16Veterans Affairs. Community Care Network – Information for Providers After you submit documentation, the administrator runs credentialing to verify your licenses, operational history, and staff qualifications. Providers generally have 30 days to submit requested documents; the total credentialing timeline depends on how quickly verifications return.
Once credentialed, your agency is authorized to accept veteran patients. Keeping your provider portal profile current keeps you visible to VA case managers placing home-based referrals. Falling out of compliance with network standards can lead to removal from the network and loss of referrals.
Getting Paid
CCN agencies submit claims electronically using the 837 EDI transaction standard, the same format used for Medicare and Medicaid. Claims can go through the VA clearinghouse or another clearinghouse you choose. Payer IDs differ by region: in Optum’s Regions 1 through 3, medical and dental claims both use payer ID “VA CCN”; in TriWest’s Regions 4 and 5, medical uses “TWVACCN” and dental uses “CDCA1.”17U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. File a Claim for Veteran Care – Information for Providers Using the correct payer ID from the first claim avoids rejections and payment delays.