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VA social workers identify factors predictive of enrollment and variability in Veterans' access to aid and attendance benefits.

Kennedy KA, Corneau E, Rickard T, Mills WL, Thomas KS. VA social workers identify factors predictive of enrollment and variability in Veterans' access to aid and attendance benefits. Journal of gerontological social work. 2023 Jul 24; 1-21.

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Abstract:

The Aid and Attendance (AandA) benefit is a cash entitlement for Veterans who served in the U.S. military to obtain personal care services. Our objective was to identify factors contributing to variation in AandA enrollment across VA Medical Centers (VAMCs). We used VA data to calculate the enrollment rate among older Veterans receiving a VA pension or compensation in 2015, then purposefully sampled social work leaders at 15 VAMCs with the highest (? = 7) and lowest (? = 8) enrollment rates for interviews. All respondents viewed AandA as an important benefit. Participants at high-enrollment sites indicated strong working relationships with Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) and Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) with onsite presence and education about AandA facilitate access. Participants at low-enrollment sites indicated they desired education around AandA eligibility criteria and collaboration with VBA/VSOs. VA and non-VA social workers would benefit from education about VBA''s benefits, and this requires collaboration with VBA representatives.




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