The Ozark Independent Living (O.I.L.) Veteran Directed Care (VDC) Department is adopting a deployed military unit to send care items to during the Christmas season, and asking for the public's help with donations.
Its staff would also like to take the opportunity to bring awareness to Veteran Directed Care and what the program can do for veterans and their family members, in providing care that is determined by the veteran, plus an opportunity for family members who are already caregivers to be reimbursed for their efforts.
Donations for the care packages will be collected 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. weekdays through Nov. 15 at the O.I.L. office, 109 Aid Ave., just off Court Square in West Plains.
Food and drink items needed are ramen noodles, seasoning salt, hot sauce, flavoring packets for bottled water, individual condiment packets, powdered drink mix, energy bars, beef jerky, summer sausage, instant macaroni and cheese, tea bags, instant coffee, hot chocolate packets, trail mix, nuts, granola bars, oatmeal packets, hard candy, popcorn and gum.
Toiletries and over-the-counter medications needed are toothbrushes, toothpaste, shaving lotion, disposable razors, shampoo, mouthwash, baby wipes, lip balm/gloss, Tums, lotion, pain relievers, feminine hygiene products, eye drops, foot powder, sunscreen, glass cleaner or lens cleaning cloths, fingernail clippers, Q-tips and first aid kits or Band-Aids.
Items for entertainment are also needed. Suggestions include letter-writing supplies such as pens and pencils, frisbees, Nerf balls, puzzles, travel-size board games, cards, paperback books, DVDs, journals, magazines or newspapers, word search/crossword/sudoku puzzle books, hacky sacks and dice.
Other items suggested for donation are ankle or boot socks, AA or AAA batteries (not lithium-ion), dryer sheets, laundry detergent pods, hand warmers and sewing kits. Cash donations to purchase items will also be accepted.
The items will be sent in bulk in several boxes with Willow Springs soldier A.J. Reef, who will deliver them to his unit of 52 men and three women.
Preschool and kindergarten classes at Glenwood and Branson schools are making holiday cards to be included in the package, and anyone else who would like to send a message of support and encouragement is welcome to pen a letter or include a card.
VETERAN DIRECTED CARE
Lori Cox, O.I.L. VDC manager, told the Quill the VDC program will be available nationwide in 2024 under the direction of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), with the program already underway in many areas.
It allows veterans who are qualified for in-home assistance a budget to pay a caregiver of their choice to do tasks like shopping, cleaning, cooking, providing medical transportation and running errands. Qualification must be determined by a VA or VA-referred physician and is not income-based, but once qualified, the caregiver budget is not counted as income.
The service has been a much-needed resource in the area, particularly since it is rural and caregivers hired through agencies are sometimes in short supply.
The benefit amount is determined by the VA, and includes 11 levels of care, and the veteran can hire up to four people as caregivers, depending on need. Caregivers could include spouses, relatives and other household members.
No caregiver training is required, but potential caregivers must undergo a background check.
Though the veteran chooses his or her own caregiver and is effectively the caregiver's employer, payment is made to the caregiver directly through a financial management service agency that also manages IRS paperwork and files taxes. The pay is hourly and at least minimum wage, Cox said. There are 23 counties now providing the service in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas, with 97 veteran clients using the program, she added, noting more are expected after the beginning of the year with the VA-mandated expansion taking effect.
Kansas City, Poplar Bluff and St. Louis VA hospitals are on board already, with hospitals in Columbia and Little Rock, Ark., to be added soon.
To sign up locally, veterans can go to the West Plains VA Clinic at 1801 E. K Highway, and the paperwork will be sent to the VA hospital in Poplar Bluff or any other participating VA hospital.
At the John J. Pershing VAMC in Poplar Bluff, the point of contact is Corey Crutchfield. Call 573-778-4765, or email corey.crutchfield@va.gov.
Cox emphasized the importance of veterans getting to make their own decisions about who provides care, and the benefit of having caregivers paid for their efforts with a goal of keeping veterans in their homes and out of assisted care facilities.
"Veterans are in control," Cox said. "VA gives them a budget based on their care assessment, and then they can hire their own caregivers and purchase approved goods and services. There are many options to keep them independent."
VA data provided by Cox says veterans partaking in the program have fewer hospitalizations and are less likely to move into a nursing home, compared to those enrolled in other VA home and community programs, and 97% of those clients feel their quality of life has been enhanced with the support of the program.
