AIM provides Veteran Directed Care in a partnership with the VA Finger Lakes Healthcare System, which includes the Bath VA Medical Center and Canandaigua VA Medical Center.
This program allows veterans to self-direct the care they need to live independently at home, and hire Care Attendants to support them.
Veteran Directed Care is a program available to veterans of all ages with all types of disabilities who are enrolled in the VA health care system.
Veterans qualify for the program if the VA determines that without home- and community-based services, they would need care in a skilled nursing facility. For example, a veteran might need assistance with multiple activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing or fixing meals.
Veterans in this program are given a flexible budget for services. They can hire and manage their Care Attendants. Veterans can also use their budget for other goods and services which will help them live independently.
A veteran can designate an authorized representative to help them direct their care.
The VA determines eligibility for the program and refers veterans to AIM, which conducts the intake and enrollment process.
AIM helps veterans assess their care needs and develop a spending plan. AIM also serves as a fiscal intermediary, handling payroll and benefits for the care attendants hired by the veteran. We also provide ongoing support to veterans enrolled in the program.
Veteran Directed Care is a national program developed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Health Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Administration for Community Living. It is available through more than 70 regional VA Medical Centers in partnership with local agencies which provide aging and disability services, such as AIM.
For more information, call Abi Hodges, AIM's VDC Director, at (607) 962-8225, ext. 135.
