This past Friday, as scheduled, my wife and I had a one-hour and fifteen-minute phone interview with the social worker representing the VA’s Caregiver Program. I was first up. She interviewed what was obviously a script, and questions at first centered on how I feel, how a normal 24-hour day goes, what my caregiver did to aid and abet my daily activities, etc. It then turned to shades of mental health and suicidal thoughts, and included a question about whether we had a gun or guns in the home. She then talked with my wife, asking about 80% of the same type of questions.
After the interview, she informed us in some detail about what’s coming down the pike. Next up is a video interview by a nurse to go over in more detail health issues, then a panel of representatives from various domains in the VA, and lastly, possibly a home visit. After these activities, we will either be informed by this rep that we were accepted into the program, or receive a detailed letter explaining why we were not. If not, we can either appeal or, if so desired, reapply.
Up to now, the two interfaces with the VA leave the impression that they are pretty much sticking to their script and are not all that interested in anything off script. It’s as though my wife, as my caregiver, could have her finger in the dike of my life, and if this did not fit into a box on their form, they would be indifferent to it.
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