Title: CARE for All Veterans Act
Policy area: Armed Forces and National Security

Summary:
Caregivers Access and Responsible Expansion for All Veterans Act or the CARE for All Veterans Act
This bill expands eligibility for the family caregiver program of the Department of Veterans Affairs to include members of the Armed Forces or veterans who are seriously injured or who became ill (or who aggravated such injury or illness) on active duty before September 11, 2001 (currently, limited to service after September 11, 2001).
The bill establishes three monthly caregiver stipend starting dates for pre-September 11, 2001, members of the Armed Forces or veterans based upon the amount and degree of personal care services provided.
Program eligibility criteria shall include a veteran's need for regular or extensive instruction or supervision in completing two or more instrumental activities of daily living.

[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1802 Introduced in House (IH)]

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115th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 1802

 To expand eligibility for the program of comprehensive assistance for 
        family caregivers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                             March 30, 2017

Ms. Esty (for herself, Mr. Costello of Pennsylvania, Mr. Langevin, Mr. 
     Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Ryan of Ohio, and Mrs. Radewagen) 
 introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on 
                           Veterans' Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To expand eligibility for the program of comprehensive assistance for 
        family caregivers of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Caregivers Access and Responsible 
Expansion for All Veterans Act'' or the ``CARE for All Veterans Act''.

SEC. 2. EXPANSION OF ELIGIBILITY FOR PARTICIPATION IN FAMILY CAREGIVER 
              PROGRAM OF DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.

    (a) Expansion of Eligibility.--Subsection (a)(2)(B) of section 
1720G of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting before 
the semicolon the following: ``, or, in accordance with paragraph (11), 
has such an injury or illness that was so incurred or aggravated before 
such date''.
    (b) Clarification of Eligibility for Illness.--Such subsection is 
further amended by inserting ``or illness'' after ``serious injury''.
    (c) Expansion of Needed Services in Eligibility Criteria.--
Subsection (a)(2)(C) of such section is amended--
            (1) in clause (ii), by striking ``; or'' and inserting a 
        semicolon;
            (2) by redesignating clause (iii) as clause (iv); and
            (3) by inserting after clause (ii) the following new clause 
        (iii):
                    ``(iii) a need for regular or extensive instruction 
                or supervision in completing two or more instrumental 
                activities of daily living; or''.
    (d) Eligibility for Assistance.--Subsection (a) of such section is 
amended by adding at the end the following new paragraph:
    ``(11) Notwithstanding any other provision of this subsection, a 
family caregiver of an eligible veteran who is eligible under paragraph 
(2) solely because of a serious injury or illness (including traumatic 
brain injury, psychological trauma, or other mental disorder) incurred 
or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military, naval, or air 
service before September 11, 2001, is eligible for assistance under 
this subsection as follows:
            ``(A) Not earlier than October 1, 2019, if the family 
        caregiver would merit a monthly personal caregiver stipend 
        under paragraph (3)(A)(ii)(V) in an amount that is in the 
        highest tier specified in the schedule established by the 
        Secretary under paragraph (3)(C)(i).
            ``(B) Not earlier than October 1, 2021, if the family 
        caregiver would merit such a stipend in an amount that is in 
        the middle tier specified in such schedule.
            ``(C) Not earlier than October 1, 2023, if the family 
        caregiver would merit such a stipend in an amount that is in 
        the lowest tier specified in such schedule.''.
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