The VA's Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers provides stipends, training, healthcare, and respite care. Here's who qualifies.
Caring for a seriously injured or ill veteran is demanding, often full-time work — and the VA offers real support for the family members who do it. The centerpiece is the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), which can include a monthly stipend, health coverage, respite care, and training. This guide explains who qualifies, what the program provides, and how to apply, plus the lighter-touch general program for caregivers who do not meet PCAFC's bar.
The VA actually runs two caregiver programs, and it helps to know which one fits. PCAFC, the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, is the comprehensive program — it carries the monthly stipend and the most benefits, and it is for caregivers of veterans with serious service-connected conditions. PGCSS, the Program of General Caregiver Support Services, is a lighter-touch program open to caregivers of veterans of any era and any rating; it offers education, peer support, and respite, but no stipend. This guide focuses on PCAFC, since that is where the stipend and major benefits live.
PCAFC has requirements for both the veteran and the caregiver. The veteran must have a VA disability rating — individual or combined — of 70% or higher, must have been discharged from the military (or have a date of medical discharge), must need at least 6 continuous months of in-person personal care services (help with daily activities such as feeding, bathing, or dressing, or supervision and protection), and must be enrolled in VA health care.
The caregiver must be at least 18 years old and be the veteran's spouse, child, parent, stepfamily member, or extended family member — or someone who lives full time with the veteran (or is willing to). A veteran can appoint one Primary Family Caregiver and up to two Secondary Family Caregivers. As of 2026, PCAFC is open to eligible veterans from all service eras, from World War II through the post-9/11 generation.
| Benefit | Who receives it |
|---|---|
| Monthly stipend | Primary caregiver |
| CHAMPVA health coverage (if not otherwise eligible) | Primary caregiver |
| At least 30 days of respite care per year | Primary caregiver |
| Free legal and financial planning assistance | Primary caregiver |
| Caregiver education and training | Primary and Secondary |
| Mental health counseling | Primary and Secondary |
| Travel benefits when traveling with the veteran for care | Primary and Secondary |
The monthly stipend goes to the Primary Family Caregiver, and the amount depends on where the veteran lives and how much care they need. The VA bases it on the federal General Schedule (GS) grade 4, step 1 annual pay rate for the veteran's locality, divided by 12. There are two levels: at Level 1, the stipend is 62.5% of that monthly amount; at Level 2 — for a veteran the VA determines is "unable to self-sustain in the community" — it is the full 100%. Because the figure is tied to local federal pay, the exact dollar amount varies by location, and the VA calculates your specific amount during the eligibility evaluation.
You and the veteran apply together using VA Form 10-10CG, a joint application. You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail, or in person with the caregiver support team at a VA medical center. After you apply, a caregiver support team contacts you, you complete caregiver training and a home-care assessment, and the VA makes a decision — generally within 90 days. Once you are enrolled, you will have periodic "wellness contacts," check-ins that happen at least every 120 days with an annual visit to the veteran's home.
If you are caring for a veteran with a serious service-connected condition rated 70% or higher, PCAFC can provide meaningful, ongoing support: a stipend, health coverage, respite, and training. If the veteran does not meet that bar, the general caregiver program (PGCSS) still offers education, peer support, and respite. Either way, the VA's free Caregiver Support Line is a good place to start, and an accredited Veterans Service Officer (VSO) can help with the paperwork at no cost.
For PCAFC — the program with the monthly stipend — the veteran needs a VA disability rating, individual or combined, of 70% or higher, plus a need for at least 6 months of in-person personal care and enrollment in VA health care.
The Primary caregiver stipend is based on the federal GS-4, step 1 pay rate for the veteran's locality, divided by 12 — paid at 62.5% (Level 1) or 100% (Level 2, "unable to self-sustain in the community"). Because it is tied to local federal pay, the exact amount varies by location.
Yes. A Primary Family Caregiver who does not already qualify for health coverage under another plan may be eligible for CHAMPVA through PCAFC.
Someone at least 18 years old who is the veteran's spouse, child, parent, stepfamily, or extended family member — or someone who lives full time with the veteran. A veteran can have one Primary and up to two Secondary caregivers.
They may still benefit from the Program of General Caregiver Support Services (PGCSS), which is open to caregivers of veterans of any era and any rating and offers education, peer support, and respite care — though it does not include a stipend.