Home is where care happens, and for the veterans in your care, it should also be where their service is recognized. But before we can care for veterans, we have to identify them.
Many Veterans don’t self-identify, and those who go unrecognized may miss VA benefits and specialized support. Their service can also shape what they need from their care, from trauma-informed approaches to honoring ceremonies.
Identifying the Veterans in Your Care
Our free Military History Checklist gives every care-at-home provider a simple way to ask, listen, and connect veterans to the care and benefits they earned. It will help you identify, honor, and serve veterans.
Download the Checklist
1 Identify Veterans
Start by asking the right question. Veterans are in every care-at-home setting, from home health and hospice to home care and Medicaid HCBS. Many never mention their service.
Ask “Have you ever served in the military?” rather than “Are you a Veteran?”, because some who served don’t think of themselves as veterans. Some, such as many Korean and Vietnam Veterans, were told not to talk about their service at all.
2 Honor Veterans
Listen to the story. Service history shapes the plan of care. Asking about it builds trust, opens the door to experiences that may never have been heard, and lets the care team acknowledge what a veteran carries, including combat or traumatic experiences.
3 Serve Veterans
Guide them to their benefits. Unidentified veterans may be missing VA benefits and specialized support. The MHC flags possible eligibility so teams can bring in a County Veterans Service Officer, Vet Center, or Veterans Service Organization.
“Our team identifies Veterans, learns their military history, and connects Veterans and families with benefits they may not realize are available. Through personalized recognition ceremonies, certificates, challenge coins, retired flag stars, and, whenever possible, a fellow Veteran Volunteer, we create opportunities for Veterans to share stories they may not have spoken about in years. Achieving Silver Level represents our commitment to ensuring every Veteran knows: their service mattered, their stories matter, and they are not forgotten.”
Alpha Omega Hospice, Fort Worth, TX
You’ve Identified a Veteran? Then What?
Knowing the patient’s background is only the first step. These additional resources can help you understand their needs, support trauma-informed care, and connect them to VA benefits.
“One veteran volunteer, Paul, shared a deeply moving experience during a bedside pinning ceremony. As words of gratitude and recognition were offered, the veteran passed away peacefully while Paul saluted him. For him and the family, there was comfort in knowing the veteran’s service had been acknowledged in his final moments. It affirmed how important it is that no veteran’s service goes unrecognized.”
A We Honor Veterans Partner on Caring for Veterans
The Military History Checklist is Free for You
Home health. Hospice. Palliative care. Home care. Medicaid HCBS. Every one of these teams cares for veterans. Whether your organization has a long-standing veterans program or is asking about service for the first time, the Military History Checklist meets you where you are.
Download it, adapt it, and share it with a team that needs it.
Become Part of the We Honor Veterans Program and Join Others in Caring for Veterans
We Honor Veterans is part of the Alliance’s Caring for Veterans initiative focusing on focused on advancing high quality, veteran-centered care across the care continuum.
By joining the Alliance and taking part in the We Honor Veterans recognition program, you’ll get access to exclusive materials, events, and webinars that aim to help you serve the veterans in your care to your fullest.
Learn More from the Alliance
Home is Where Care Happens
Learn more about what makes care at home possible, from real stories from those that get care to to see how the Alliance is is working to protect patients, strengthen trust in care at home, and ensure families can access the support they need.
The National Alliance for Care at Home
Stay up to date on how we are advancing policies that support care in the home for millions of Americans at all stages of life, individuals with disabilities, persons with both chronic and serious illnesses as well as dying Americans who depend on those supports.
CaringInfo
CaringInfo’s guides and resources are here to help those dealing with a serious or life-limiting illness through the journey you are on and to aid you in understanding the choices you have.
