VETTED launches free VA home care guides for aging veterans

VETTED, a Troy, Michigan veteran-owned company founded by former Navy SEAL Evan Shelline, has released a free guide library for families navigating VA-paid home care. The materials aim to help metro Detroit families understand eligibility, costs and next steps as VA expands home-care access under the Dole Act.

Why it matters: - More families caring for aging veterans are being pushed to figure out VA-paid home care on their own. - The new guides aim to explain what VA covers, what it does not cover and where families can get help. - The timing matters because the Dole Act requires VA to offer Homemaker/Home Health Aide care and Veteran-Directed Care at every VA medical center by early 2027.

What happened: - VETTED, a service-disabled veteran-owned small business founded by former U.S. Navy SEAL Evan Shelline, released a free library of plain-language guides for families in metro Detroit. - The guides are available at vettedvc.com/veteran-care. - Shelline said many families do not know VA can pay a home care agency directly for help at home until they are already worn out.

The details: - The guides explain how to get VA-paid home care, what it costs and where to find help VA does not cover. - Eligibility for VA-paid home care is based on need, not on a disability rating. - The guide library includes material on Aid and Attendance vs. VA home care, VA help for family caregivers, home care for a veteran's spouse, in-home dementia care and choosing a home care agency. - One guide addresses how to choose a home care agency in Michigan, where non-medical home care is not licensed. - VETTED also published local resource pages for veterans in Troy, Detroit, Warren, Sterling Heights, Livonia and Dearborn. - Each local page lists nearby VA facilities, Vet Centers, free benefits help and Area Agencies on Aging. - VETTED accepts VA Community Care referrals for Homemaker/Home Health Aide care and respite across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. - Families can ask the veteran's VA social worker for VETTED by name or call 248-794-9292. - VETTED is independent and not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. - VA alone decides eligibility and authorized hours.

Between the lines: - The guides appear designed to remove confusion at a moment when federal policy is expanding access and more families are likely to seek home-based care. - The local resource pages also give VETTED a way to steer families toward a broader support network, not just its own services. - Shelline framed the effort as a service standard, saying VETTED aims to tell people the truth, do the small things right and take care of the person in front of you.

What's next: - Families in southeast Michigan can use the guides now as VA home-care questions become more common. - VA access should widen further as every VA medical center is required to offer the covered programs by early 2027. - More families are likely to start asking VA social workers about Homemaker/Home Health Aide care, respite and Veteran-Directed Care.

The bottom line: - VETTED is trying to make VA home care easier to understand and easier to access before families run out of time and energy.