Vets' Families Seek Pay as Caregivers

Say disability money doesn't cover needs for injured troops
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 12, 2008 9:39 AM CST
Vets' Families Seek Pay as Caregivers
In the image provided by the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and the Ad Council, a public service announcement promoting veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan is seen.   (AP Photo/Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, Ad Council)

Wounded soldiers receive disability pensions based on the extent of their injuries, but for many families that money doesn't come close to covering the costs of caregiving. After Matt Keil returned home a quadriplegic, his wife, Tracy, quit her job to care for him, losing a $58,000 per-year income to do so, she tells the New York Times. 

Keil and others are seeking compensation for the time they spend, and the jobs they gave up, but the Veterans Affairs Department worries about the liability of training family members. And some suspect that the government is reluctant to pay them as it would outside caregivers simply because it's obvious they would do the work anyway.
(More veterans' health care stories.)

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