71.25—Approval and designation of Primary and Secondary Family Caregivers.

(a) Application requirement. (1) Individuals who wish to be considered for designation by VA as Primary or Secondary Family Caregivers must complete and sign a joint application, along with the veteran or servicemember. Individuals interested in serving as Family Caregivers must be identified as such on the joint application, and no more than three individuals may serve as Family Caregivers at one time for an eligible veteran, with no more than one serving as the Primary Family Caregiver.

(2) Upon receiving such application, VA will perform the clinical evaluations required by this section; determine whether the application should be granted; and, if so, whether each applicant should be designated as identified in the application.

(3) An application may be put on hold for no more than 90 days, from the date the application was received, for a veteran or servicemember seeking to qualify through a GAF test score of 30 or less but who does not have a “continuous” GAF score available.

(b) Eligibility to serve as Primary or Secondary Family Caregiver. In order to serve as a Primary or Secondary Family Caregiver, the applicant must meet all of the following requirements:

(1) Be at least 18 years of age.

(2) Be either:

(i) The eligible veteran's spouse, son, daughter, parent, step-family member, or extended family member; or

(ii) Someone who lives with the eligible veteran full-time or will do so if designated as a Family Caregiver.

(3) There must be no determination by VA of abuse or neglect of the eligible veteran by the applicant.

(4) Meet the requirements of paragraph (c) of this section, and any other applicable requirements of this part.

(c) Assessment, education, and training of applicants. Before VA approves an applicant to serve as a Primary or Secondary Family Caregiver, the applicant must:

(1) Be initially assessed by a VA primary care team as being able to complete caregiver education and training. Such assessment will consider any relevant information specific to the needs of the eligible veteran, as well as:

(i) Whether the applicant can communicate and understand details of the treatment plan and any specific instructions related to the care of the eligible veteran (accommodation for language or hearing impairment will be made as appropriate); and

(ii) Whether the applicant will be capable of following without supervision a treatment plan listing the specific care needs of the eligible veteran.

(2) Complete caregiver training and demonstrate the ability to carry out the specific personal care services, core competencies, and other additional care requirements prescribed by the eligible veteran's primary care team.

(d) Caregiver education and training. For the purposes of this section, caregiver training is a program of education and training designed by and provided through VA that consists of issues that are generally applicable to Family Caregivers, as well as issues specific to the needs of the eligible veteran. During this program of education and training, family members are eligible for beneficiary travel under 38 CFR part 70. Respite care will be provided during the period of initial caregiver instruction, preparation, and training if the participation would interfere with the provision of personal care services to the eligible veteran. Caregiver training will cover, at a minimum, education and training concerning the following core competencies:

(1) Medication management;

(2) Vital signs and pain control;

(3) Infection control;

(4) Nutrition;

(5) Functional activities;

(6) Activities of daily living;

(7) Communication and cognition skills;

(8) Behavior management skills;

(9) Skin care; and

(10) Caregiver self-care.

(e) Initial home-care assessment. No later than 10 business days after completion of Caregiver education and training, or should an eligible veteran be hospitalized during this process, no later than 10 days from the date the eligible veteran returns home, a VA clinician or a clinical team will visit the eligible veteran's home and assess the Caregiver's completion of training and competence to provide personal care services at the eligible veteran's home, to measure the eligible veteran's well being.

(f) Approval and designation. If the eligible veteran and at least one applicant meet the requirements of this part, VA will approve the application and designate Primary and/or Secondary Family Caregivers, as appropriate. This approval and designation will be a clinical determination authorized by the eligible veteran's primary care team. Approval and designation is conditioned on the eligible veteran and designated Family Caregivers remaining eligible for caregiver benefits under this part.

Code of Federal Regulations

(Authority: 38 U.S.C. 501, 1720G )