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Reviews of VA's Personal Care Residence and Domiciliary Care Programs

Published: Jan 11, 1978. Publicly Released: Jan 11, 1978.
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Highlights

The Veterans Administration's (VA) personal care residence program provides for community homes with personal supervision, room, board, and other assistance to the veteran. Sponsors have the responsibility of providing or arranging for adequate accommodations, diet, and services. The personal care program can help to free hospital beds, helps to rehabilitate former patients, and is superior to hospitals for certain chronically ill patients. There is a potential for expanding use of the homes for suitable patients if patients had sufficient funds. Obstacles to VA's making effective use of the program are: lack of sufficient management commitment and information, failure to identify all veterans suitable for the program, need for adequate staffing and education, need for assistance to veterans in securing financial aid, and VA's lack of legislative authority to pay some costs. Improvements in the program are needed in: planning for treatment, patient supervision and treatment, controls over home operations, and guidance and controls for rate structures and handling of patients' funds. There were 44 hospitals that did not report using these programs as of June 1976. The domiciliary care program provides housing, medical treatment, food, clothing, and related services to needy, disabled veterans. The program is in need of better management methods for admission criteria, monitoring of medical care, recreation programs, rehabilitation programs, and staffing. VA proposals for construction of new facilities were not based on adequate projections. Recommendations were made to correct these shortcomings.

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