Heather Hess-Chatterjee talks to veterans and their spouses during an informational session at the Abie Abraham VA Clinic in Center Township on Monday, July 31. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

CENTER TWP — Aging and disabled veterans can receive care at home, and their caregivers don’t have to be alone to support them.

An informational session at the Abie Abraham VA Clinic on Monday, July 31, shed light on services including peer support, skills training, self-care courses and respite care under the scope of two VA programs

These are just some of the services provided by The Program of General Caregiver Support Services and The Program of Comprehensive Assistance For Family Caregivers. Both exist under the broad umbrella of the VA’s Caregiver Support Program.

“The goal is to offer supportive services to caregivers who are taking care of veterans ... so that the veteran can stay in their home as long as possible,” said Heather Hess-Chatterjee, Caregiver Support Program manager.

The difference between both programs is the level and intensity of support. Under PCAFC, caregivers have access to enhanced respite care, financial planning, beneficiary travel and a monthly stipend ranging from $1,900 to $3,000, depending on the demonstrated level of care needed by the veteran, Hess-Chatterjee said.

“Those kinds of services are important so that the caregiver doesn’t get burnout,” Hess-Chatterjee said. “For the burnt-out caregiver, chances are that it’s just going to be more and more stress on the caregiver. And then what happens is, you kind of have to start making decisions because you’re so exhausted. You can’t do it yourself anymore. And that’s what we want to try to prevent.”

According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, PCAFC “offers enhanced clinical support and services for caregivers of eligible veterans who have a serious injury or illness and require in-person personal care services among other requirements.”

Hess-Chatterjee said 35% of those who apply for the program in Butler County are approved. As the VA continues to review eligibility requirements, she said she hopes the approval rate will increase in coming years.

In 2022, PCAFC expanded its eligibility criteria to include all veterans. Previously, only veterans who had served during 9/11 were eligible for the program.

Audrey and Tom Szmed attend an informational session for veterans at the Abie Abraham VA Clinic in Center Township on Monday, July 31. Justin Guido/Butler Eagle

Audrey Szmed, who attended the information session with her husband, Tom Szmed, a retired Marine, said she did not know that she was entitled to beneficiary travel under PCAFC as a caregiver. The pair was one of two couples who attended the event in the auditorium. A second couple, Michael and Donna George of Butler Township, said they found out about the caregiver support program last week, and that the VA offers many services to help veterans “if you know to ask.”

“I did not know that I could get paid for travel, so they’re gonna pay me my mileage from my home to the doctor’s appointments for Tom, and back to my home,” Szmed said to presenters. “I did not know that. I found that out from another Marine wife.”

She said that prior to applying for the program, she struggled with burnout.

“This facility, these women, I can’t say enough about them,” Szmed said. “I don’t want to say they saved my life, but ... I was in a very bad place because I was 24/7 with him and not able to do anything. Just 24/7 and I couldn’t take a breath.”

She said she missed the graduations of four of her grandchildren in the past year.

“It was very sad, and I’m not going to blame my husband, but it was very difficult,” Szmed said.

Group support services can help caregivers feel heard and understood by others who are going through similar experiences, Hess-Chatterjee said.

Sixty-two veterans across the five counties served by the Butler VA are registered with PCAFC, and 130 are registered with PGCSS, Hess-Chatterjee said.

The turnout for Monday’s event was low, and Hess-Chatterjee said many former members of the military don’t realize they are eligible for caregiver services or VA programming because they don’t see themselves as veterans.

“If someone, like, was in the military and (was) not deployed, a lot of those people don’t think they’re veterans,” Hess-Chatterjee said. “But you’re still in the military.”

“The same is for caregivers,” social worker April Yandrich said. “So a lot of people don’t think of themselves as caregivers. They’ll say, ‘Yeah, I’m a wife.’ No, you’re doing more than just being a wife.”