Veterans represent a growing share of patients needing ongoing care, including chronic condition management, post-hospital recovery and long-term support. With about 15.7 million veterans in the United States and nearly half age 65 or older, demand for ongoing care continues to rise. Many veterans prefer to receive care at home when it’s clinically appropriate. Home-based care can support independence, comfort and family connection while helping align care delivery with patient preference.
BrightStar Care® supports this approach through its Veterans Care services, which are designed to work alongside Veterans Affairs (VA) and health system care pathways while maintaining clinical oversight in the home.
The Institutional Care Challenge for Veterans
Health systems, VA programs and specialty care networks are managing steady growth in demand for post-acute and long-term care services. Many veterans require coordinated support across chronic conditions, mobility limitations and recovery after a hospital stay.
Capacity Strain on VA Facilities and Long-Term Care Settings
VA medical centers and long-term care facilities continue to experience increased demand alongside staffing and capacity constraints. For care teams, this can make it more difficult to place veterans in the right setting at the right time.
This often appears as:
- Longer wait times for long-term care placement
- Veterans remaining in the hospital after they are medically ready for discharge
- Added workload for discharge planners and VA care coordinators
- Limited flexibility for specialty services like infusion care
- Delays in aligning VA Community Care referrals with available capacity
When these gaps exist, veterans may remain in institutional settings longer than needed. Expanding access to home-based care options may help support more timely transitions while preserving clinical decision-making.
Veteran Preference for Home-Based Care
A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 60 percent of adults age 65 and older prefer to receive care in their own home if needed and clinically appropriate, while only a very small share prefer nursing home care. This preference is often tied to familiarity, independence and the ability to remain close to family and daily routines.
How Veteran-Centered Home Care Supports Care Transitions
Care transitions are often the most vulnerable points in a veteran’s care journey. When well-coordinated, home-based care can help maintain continuity from hospital to home while reducing gaps in communication across providers.
Personalized, RN-Led Care in a Familiar Environment
Veteran-centered home care brings Skilled Nursing, Personal Care and Veterans Care services into the home, supported by RN oversight.
Skilled Nursing and home care for veterans includes medication management, wound care, tracheostomy care, amputation site care and monitoring, post-acute monitoring and coordination with referring providers when care plans change or need adjustment.
For health systems and specialty pharmacy partners, RN oversight in the home can help maintain alignment between prescribing teams and field-based care.
In practice, this approach may support:
- More consistent follow-through on care plans
- Fewer gaps during transitions
- Better communication between care teams and families
- More stability for veterans managing multiple conditions
Caregiver Relief and Family Support
Family caregivers play a central role in supporting veterans with ongoing care needs, but the responsibility can become difficult to sustain without additional support.
Recent national data shows there are roughly 63 million family caregivers in the United States, and more than 40 percent report symptoms of burnout, including emotional exhaustion and physical strain.
Home-based care can help reduce that pressure by adding trained support for both clinical and daily needs.
This shared approach can:
- Reduce daily caregiver burden
- Support safer, more consistent care at home
- Keep families involved without overwhelming them
- Lower the risk of caregiver burnout contributing to institutional placement
Continuity of Care Across Chronic Conditions
Many veterans live with multiple chronic conditions that require ongoing monitoring and coordination. Home-based care can support continuity by keeping care delivery in one setting and maintaining consistent communication across care teams. This can be helpful for VA coordinators when t veterans are receiving specialty medications or infusion therapies, where stable coordination can support adherence and care consistency as well as activities of daily living from one in-home care provider.
Impact on Healthcare Systems and the VA
As VA partners and health systems manage increasing demand, home-based care is being used as one option to help improve patient flow and align care with capacity.
Reducing Demand on Inpatient and Long-Term Care Beds
When veterans can safely receive care at home, hospital and long-term care resources can be focused on patients who need a higher level of clinical support.
This can help ease pressure on inpatient and long-term care settings and improve access for higher acuity veterans.
In some cases, improved capacity flow may also support specialty programs such as infusion services, where discharge timing and placement availability affect throughput.
Cost Savings and Improved Resource Allocation
Recent national cost analyses indicate that home-based care is often less expensive than institutional care, depending on clinical needs and the level of support required.
Current CareScout and AARP-aligned data show home care typically averages about $75,000-85,000 per year for higher levels of support, compared to roughly $110,000 per year for a semi-private nursing home room.
The difference is largely driven by facility overhead and 24-hour staffing requirements. For health systems and payor leaders, this may support more balanced use of resources while maintaining appropriate care for veterans in the home.
The Veteran Experience at Home
Beyond operational considerations, home-based care plays an important role in supporting comfort, dignity and engagement in care.
Dignity, Autonomy and Quality of Life
When veterans receive care at home, they are able to maintain familiar routines and surroundings when clinically appropriate.
This sense of familiarity can play an important role in how veterans experience their care, particularly for those managing long-term conditions. Home-based care may also help reduce the disruption associated with institutional settings.
Perspective from Care Coordination Teams
This reflects broader efforts across the VA system to expand coordinated home-based care options when clinically appropriate.
While experiences vary, the pattern reinforces the role home-based care can play in supporting continuity and reducing unnecessary institutional reliance.
BrightStar Care’s Veterans Care Model
BrightStar Care provides Veterans Care services designed to support VA programs, health systems and specialty partners through coordinated, RN-led home care.
Streamlining care coordination for home-based services supports communication and coordination across care settings, including referral management and authorization workflows that can help reduce friction during transitions to home-based care.
Nationwide Coverage With VA Program Experience
BrightStar Care operates through more than 430 locations across the United States, supporting access to home-based care across urban, suburban and rural communities.
Key capabilities include:
- Joint Commission accreditation across locations
- RN oversight for all patients, including ones who need clinically complex and chronic care
- Experience supporting VA Community Care coordination pathways
- Integration of Skilled Nursing and Personal Care services
- Support for short-term recovery, chronic disease management and long-term care needs
This structure allows health systems, VA care teams and specialty partners to consider home-based care as part of a broader continuum of placement options.
Coordinated Support for Veterans and Their Families
Effective veteran care depends on coordination between clinical teams, families and administrative partners, especially during transitions. BrightStar Care works alongside these stakeholders to support continuity from referral through ongoing care in the home.
A key part of this work is helping reduce friction in transitions, including efforts focused on streamlining care coordination for home-based services and improving alignment between VA processes and home-based care delivery.
Support includes:
- RN-led care planning and clinical oversight
- Communication with referring VA and health system teams
- Education and support for family caregivers
- Coordination across chronic and specialty care needs
- Ongoing reassessment as patient needs change
This collaborative approach is intended to support, rather than replace, existing care pathways within VA and health system networks.
Strengthening Care Pathways for Veterans
As VA partners and health systems manage capacity constraints, home-based care can provide additional flexibility when determining the right setting for care. It allows clinical need and patient preference to guide placement decisions while supporting system capacity for higher-acuity patients.
For health system executives, infusion program leaders and specialty pharmacy partners, home-based care can be one component of a broader strategy to improve transitions and strengthen care delivery.
BrightStar Care works alongside VA partners to help extend care into the home in a way that is consistent, reliable and easy to coordinate.
To learn more about coordination support for veterans receiving home-based care, visit BrightStar Care’s Veteran Care services or contact your local BrightStar Care team.