By Joseph Hannagan Jr.
There comes a time when an illness cannot be cured. It's then that hospice services are a great benefit --a way to thank America's veterans by providing comfort, compassion and peace in their final days.
Salem County's Veterans Affairs Officer Joseph Hannagan Jr. (File Photo)
The Veterans Administration now offers help when hospice is needed.
Hospice care honors for veterans with choice, comfort and dignity at the end of life. Hospice provides a multi-disciplinary team of physicians, nurses, home health aides, counselors and chaplains to manage pain and symptoms, and offer social, spiritual and emotional support. The veteran also receives medication and equipment, 24-hour on-call support, respite care and bereavement support for family members.
* Who qualifies for the VA hospice benefit?
All veterans enrolled in the VA healthcare system are eligible for hospice if their treatment goals focus on comfort rather than cure, and they have a diagnosis of a life-limiting illness with a life expectancy of six months or less.
* Where is VA hospice care provided?
Veterans may receive care in their home environment, including private homes, senior housing, assisted living and long-term care facilities, group homes, hospitals, VA nursing home care units, and state veterans' homes.
* How do the VA and hospices cooperate?
Veterans can receive care from both the hospice and the VA at the same time. Hospice and VA staff work together to coordinate the veteran's care, and referrals for hospice care can come from either the VA to the hospice or from the hospice to the VA.
* How does the veteran enroll in the VA health care system?
A veteran must be enrolled in the VA healthcare system to receive Va benefits. He or She should contact the Salem County Veterans Service Office for help with this enrollment and the VA will initiate an enrollment proves which determines each veterans' eligibility for these VA benefits.
* Who veterans' hospice care?
Hospice care services are covered by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Medicare and Medicaid or by private insurance. No one is ever denied care based on their inability to pay, their ethnicity, age, gender, mental or physical status or religion.
By working together we can ensure that our veterans who are near the end of life have access to high-quality hospice and palliative care
Quality hospice and palliative care for veterans are made possible through a partnership with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization.
This information is taken from pamphlets provided by the Department of Veterans Affairs on hospice.
For immediate help, call Vistas at 866-791-2229 and tell them you're seeking care for a veteran
Joseph Hannagan Jr. is Salem County Veterans Affairs Officer. Veterans can contact Hannagan at his office by calling 856-339-8603, via cell phone at 609-774-7450 or via email at Joseph.Hannagan@salemcountynj.gov