This innovative program offers affordable care to veterans by placing them in the homes of caregivers

A program offering affordable care to veterans has quietly expanded from three to 47 states, providing care to more than 700 veterans over 65.

The Medical Foster Home Program, launched in 2002, places veterans in the homes of caregivers, who may also have their own children living with them. This arrangement fosters meaningful connections for veterans in a family-like environment.

The program provides private settings where trained caregivers offer 24/7 care to a few individuals, including some veterans. They serve as an alternative to nursing homes, catering to veterans who need similar care but seek a more personal atmosphere.

In these homes, caregivers and their relief staff help veterans with daily activities such as bathing and dressing. The VA ensures that caregivers are thoroughly trained to meet care needs.

Moreover, veterans in Medical Foster Homes receive Home-Based Primary Care, offering comprehensive support in a comfortable, home-like setting.

Benefits include home-cooked meals, and personalized care enhances the quality of life for veterans and host families.

Shantel Cross and her children prepared dinner for the veterans living with them in Baltimore—Charles McCoubrey, Peter Samaras, and Ekkehard Thies. The veterans were thrilled to join the meal and enjoy the company.

“It’s nice here. And being in a nursing home, they just throw you away, they ignore you. But here we’re like part of the family,” Peter told CBS News.

Medical foster homes offer a fresh solution from the Department of Veterans Affairs for veterans needing extra care as they age.

Launched in 2002 in Arkansas, Florida, and Puerto Rico, the program that offers affordable care to veterans now provides home care to over 700 veterans through approximately 500 caregivers.

The three veterans living with the Cross family served in the military in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with Charles in the Navy and Peter and Ekkehard in the Army—a friendly rivalry that leads to teasing.

Cross, who started her career in a nursing home, now provides a more comfortable environment at home, with medical professionals and social workers visiting the veterans and Cross taking them to outside appointments.

“The daycare center they go to is wonderful. We take the guys out to the mall, let them do some walking, somebody might want coffee, we get ’em ice cream,” Shantel said.

Dayna Cooper, director of home and community care at the Department of Veterans Affairs, oversees the medical foster home program. She notes that strong family bonds and close relationships naturally develop because caregivers live with the veterans.

The strong bond is clear in the Cross home, where veterans join the family in daily activities. Cooper emphasized that every veteran deserves to age in a place surrounded by love.

Nearly half of U.S. veterans are 65 or older. With nursing homes costing over $100,000 annually using their own money, the medical foster program offers a much more affordable option, with less than half of that and caregivers receiving about $2,800 per month per veteran.

Host families must own or rent and live in the home while providing hands-on care to veterans. A home inspection ensures safety and fire standards, says Eyewitness News.

In return, the VA covers many living expenses and provides skilled nursing care and other services.

“On-site medical care in their home, through a primary care provider, nursing, social work, nutrition services, pharmacy, psychology and PT and OT,” listed Kathleen Minora, medical social work supervisor.

“It gives me a peace of mind to know that I’m able to help others and give back. I love helping others and I love giving back,” Shantel said.

She plans to continue as a foster caregiver indefinitely, emphasizing her commitment.

Meanwhile, the program, available to any veteran enrolled in the Veterans Affairs system, highlights the healing benefits of a home setting.

Watch how the Medical Foster Home Program’s affordable care to veterans works below: