If the person you’re caring for served in the military, you have options most Michigan caregivers don’t — including some that pay spouses, who are shut out of the state’s Home Help program. The VA runs three distinct programs that put money behind family caregiving, and they can be combined with Michigan Medicaid benefits in some situations. Here’s how each works and who fits where.

At a Glance
– PCAFC pays a monthly stipend — often in the low thousands — to a family caregiver (spouses included) of veterans with qualifying service-connected disabilities, plus caregiver health coverage and respite.
– Veteran-Directed Care gives the veteran a flexible budget to hire caregivers of their choosing, including family — available in participating Michigan counties.
– Aid & Attendance adds cash to a wartime veteran’s (or surviving spouse’s) pension when they need daily assistance — commonly used to fund family-provided care.
– A veteran with Medicaid may also qualify for Home Help paid to a non-spouse relative.
– Applications run through the VA, not MDHHS — different paperwork, different timelines.

Program 1: PCAFC — The Caregiver Stipend

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers is the VA’s flagship: a designated primary family caregiver of an eligible veteran receives a direct monthly stipend, access to health coverage through CHAMPVA if uninsured, caregiver training, mental-health support, and at least 30 days of respite per year.

The essentials:

• The veteran needs a service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher and must need in-person personal care services for at least six continuous months.
• The caregiver is typically a spouse, adult child, or other family member 18+, living with or near the veteran.
• Stipend amounts are pegged to local wage data and the level of care required — higher-need veterans generate higher stipends, and in Michigan the top tier can run into the high-$2,000s per month. The VA publishes current rates; treat any specific figure you read (including this one) as a snapshot to verify.

PCAFC is the most valuable caregiving benefit in the country when it applies — and its eligibility rules are strict. If the veteran’s rating is below 70%, look at the next two programs.

Program 2: Veteran-Directed Care

Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) flips the model: instead of the VA paying a designated caregiver, the veteran receives a flexible monthly budget and directs it — hiring workers of their choosing (family members, including in many cases spouses, are common hires), buying supplies, and arranging services with support from a counselor and fiscal intermediary.

VDC operates through partnerships between VA medical centers and local aging agencies, and not every Michigan county participates — availability depends on your VA medical center (Detroit, Ann Arbor, Battle Creek, Saginaw, Iron Mountain catchments differ). Ask the veteran’s VA social worker whether VDC is available where you live; if it is, it’s often the most flexible option on this page.

Program 3: Aid & Attendance

Aid & Attendance (A&A) is a pension enhancement, not a caregiving program per se: wartime veterans (or their surviving spouses) with limited income and assets who need help with daily activities receive an increased monthly pension — for a single veteran the maximum runs north of $2,300/month, adjusted annually. The money is unrestricted, which means families routinely use it to pay a family caregiver under a private caregiver agreement.

A&A applications are notoriously slow, but benefits are retroactive to the application date once approved — apply early, and keep records of care needs (physician statements documenting the need for assistance carry the application).

Combining VA Benefits with Michigan Home Help

Veterans with low income often have both VA eligibility and Michigan Medicaid — and the programs can complement each other. A common Michigan arrangement: the veteran’s adult child is paid through Home Help at $17.13/hour for daily personal care, while the household also receives A&A pension income. What you can’t do is double-bill the same hours to two payers, and PCAFC has its own rules about overlapping paid-care arrangements — disclose everything to both agencies and let them coordinate.

Key Takeaway: Service history changes the caregiving math entirely — check VA options before assuming Home Help is the only path, especially if the caregiver is a spouse.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a spouse be paid to care for a veteran in Michigan?

Yes — PCAFC’s stipend most commonly goes to spouses, and VDC budgets can hire spouses in many cases. This is the biggest exception to Michigan’s spouse-exclusion problem.

What if the veteran’s disability isn’t service-connected?

PCAFC requires a 70%+ service-connected rating, but A&A does not require the disability to be service-connected at all — and Home Help (through Medicaid) never looks at service connection.

Where do we start?

With the veteran’s VA social worker or a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) — every Michigan county has accredited VSOs who file these applications for free. Never pay a company to file a VA claim that a VSO files at no cost.

Can Mozyne help with the VA side?

Our specialty is the Michigan Home Help side — but our free eligibility check screens for veteran status precisely so we can point you to the right VA door instead of leaving benefits on the table.

What to Do Next

Make two calls this week: a county VSO about VA benefits, and Mozyne’s free eligibility check to see whether Home Help can pay a family member alongside them. Most veteran households qualify for more than they’re using.