Home Care For Veterans & Surviving Spouses
In Southeastern Pennsylvania
No Place Like Home Care accepts VA Aid & Attendance benefits and serves veteran families throughout Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania. Nurse-led. Licensed agency. Free in-home assessment.
Home Care for Veterans & Surviving Spouses
in Southeastern Pennsylvania
No Place Like Home Care accepts VA Aid & Attendance benefits and serves
veteran families throughout Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery
Counties, Pennsylvania. Nurse-led. Licensed agency. Free in-home assessment.
Does The VA Help Pay For Home Care?
Does the VA Help Pay for Home Care?
Yes. The VA offers two pathways that can fund non-medical in-home care for eligible veterans and surviving spouses:
Aid & Attendance: A monthly pension benefit of up to $2,300/month for veterans or $1,153/month for surviving spouses. No VA contract required. Families can use these funds to pay No Place Like Home Care directly. This is the fastest and most accessible pathway.
VA Homemaker/HHA Program: A clinical benefit where the VA pays a licensed, contracted agency to send caregivers directly. Requires VA enrollment and a physician referral. Hours are limited (typically 6–12 per week).
No Place Like Home Care currently accepts Aid & Attendance benefits. We serve veteran families throughout southeastern Pennsylvania.
Yes, The VA Helps Pay For Home Care. Here's How It Works.
Many veteran families spend weeks navigating VA websites and phone trees trying to understand what benefits actually cover. Let us make it simple.
The VA offers two distinct pathways that can fund non-medical in-home care for veterans and their surviving spouses. They work differently, require different steps to access, and pay agencies differently. Understanding which one applies to your situation is the first step — and it's exactly the kind of question No Place Like Home Care can help you answer.
If you want to skip the reading: call or text (610) 492-6632. Kelly Tyrrell, RN, or a member of her team will walk you through both options and help you determine which benefit fits your family's situation.
The Two VA Pathways For Home Care
& How They're Different
The Two VA Pathways for Home Care,
and How They're Different
Veteran families searching for home care benefits almost always confuse these two programs. They have different names, different eligibility rules, different application processes, and different payment structures. Here is a plain-language breakdown.
Pathway 1: Aid & Attendance Pension — Start Here
Aid & Attendance is a financial benefit, a monthly cash addition to a veteran's or surviving spouse's pension check that can be used to pay for home care from any licensed agency. No VA contract is required. No physician referral is required. Families can engage No Place Like Home Care immediately using Aid & Attendance funds.
Who qualifies: Veterans who served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period, are receiving or are eligible for a VA pension, and require assistance with at least two Activities of Daily Living due to physical or cognitive limitations. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans may also be eligible.
Benefit Amounts (2026):
Veteran with no dependents: up to $2,300/month
Veteran with one dependent: up to $2,727/month
Surviving spouse: up to $1,153/month
Two veterans, both eligible: calculated individually
How No Place Like Home Care accepts it: Aid & Attendance funds are disbursed as part of the veteran's or surviving spouse's monthly pension check. Families use those funds to pay No Place Like Home Care directly, the same way a private-pay client would. No additional billing system, no VA contract, no pre-authorization delay.
Pathway 2: VA Homemaker & Home Health Aide Program
The VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide program is a clinical benefit, the VA pays a licensed, contracted agency directly to send caregivers to the veteran's home. This requires VA enrollment, a referral from a VA physician, and that the veteran live in an area where contracted community providers are available.
Coverage under this program is intentionally limited. A standard authorization typically begins at 6 to 12 hours per week. In more serious cases, authorizations can increase, but the program is designed to supplement family care, not replace it entirely. The VA does not authorize 24-hour in-home care under this program.
No Place Like Home Care is pursuing VA contracting as a future pathway. Families interested in this program should contact their VA Primary Care Provider or PACT Social Worker to initiate a referral. We can help connect families to the right VA contact while we work toward becoming a contracted provider.
Pathway 1: Aid & Attendance Pension — Start Here
Pathway 1: Aid & Attendance Pension — Start Here
Aid & Attendance is a financial benefit, a monthly cash addition to a veteran's or surviving spouse's pension check that can be used to pay for home care from any licensed agency. No VA contract is required. No physician referral is required. Families can engage No Place Like Home Care immediately using Aid & Attendance funds.
Who qualifies: Veterans who served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period, are receiving or are eligible for a VA pension, and require assistance with at least two Activities of Daily Living due to physical or cognitive limitations. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans may also be eligible.
Benefit amounts (2026):
- Veteran with no dependents: up to $2,300/month
- Veteran with one dependent: up to $2,727/month
- Surviving spouse: up to $1,153/month
- Two veterans, both eligible: calculated individually
How NPLHC accepts it: Aid & Attendance funds are disbursed as part of the veteran's or surviving spouse's monthly pension check. Families use those funds to pay No Place Like Home Care directly, the same way a private-pay client would. No additional billing system, no VA contract, no pre-authorization delay.
Pathway 2: VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide Program
Pathway 2: VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide Program
The VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide program is a clinical benefit, the VA pays a licensed, contracted agency directly to send caregivers to the veteran's home. This requires VA enrollment, a referral from a VA physician, and that the veteran live in an area where contracted community providers are available.
Coverage under this program is intentionally limited. A standard authorization typically begins at 6 to 12 hours per week. In more serious cases, authorizations can increase, but the program is designed to supplement family care, not replace it entirely. The VA does not authorize 24-hour in-home care under this program.
No Place Like Home Care is pursuing VA contracting as a future pathway. Families interested in this program should contact their VA Primary Care Provider or PACT Social Worker to initiate a referral. We can help connect families to the right VA contact while we work toward becoming a contracted provider.
Surviving Spouses Of Veterans May Qualify
& Most Don't Know It
Surviving Spouses of Veterans May Qualify,
and Most Don't Know It
One of the most underutilized benefits in the entire VA system is Aid & Attendance eligibility for surviving spouses of veterans.
If your spouse served during a wartime period and has passed away, you may qualify for a monthly Aid & Attendance pension benefit of up to $1,153 per month, even if you yourself never served. These funds can be used to pay for non-medical in-home care from a licensed agency like No Place Like Home Care.
Eligibility for surviving spouses requires:
Your deceased spouse served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period
You were married to the veteran at the time of their death and have not remarried
You require assistance with Activities of Daily Living due to physical limitations, cognitive decline, or other health conditions
Your income and net worth fall within VA pension eligibility limits
Many families assume VA benefits end when the veteran passes. For surviving spouses who qualify for Aid & Attendance, they don't. Call (610) 492-6632 to discuss whether you or a family member may qualify.
The VA Authorizes Hours. We Cover The Rest.
The VA
Authorizes Hours.
We Cover the Rest.
Here is something most veteran families only discover after VA care begins: the VA Homemaker program typically authorizes 6 to 12 hours of care per week. Some veterans receive more. Very few receive anywhere near full-day coverage. The VA does not authorize 24-hour in-home care.
That leaves a significant daily gap, mornings that need coverage, evenings when the authorized aide has already left, overnight hours when fall risk is highest, and weekends when authorized visits may not be scheduled at all.
No Place Like Home Care is designed to fill exactly that gap.
We work alongside the VA's authorized care team, covering the hours the VA doesn't. The VA aide handles what the VA authorizes. No Place Like Home Care handles the rest. Both teams work from the same care plan, coordinated by Kelly Tyrrell, RN, who personally oversees every client's care.
Veterans using Aid & Attendance funds can use those benefits to cover the private-pay hours No Place Like Home Care provides, making the combination of VA care and No Place Like Home Care care financially accessible for many families.
If Your Veteran Has A VA Home-Based Primary Care Team, We Work With Them
If Your Veteran Has a VA Home-Based Primary Care Team, We Work With Them
The VA's Home-Based Primary Care (HBPC) program sends a full interdisciplinary medical team directly to the veteran's home, physicians, nurse practitioners, physical and occupational therapists, clinical pharmacists, and social workers. For veterans with complex chronic illness or advanced health conditions, HBPC replaces the traditional clinic visit with comprehensive in-home medical management.
What HBPC does not provide is daily non-medical care, the bathing assistance, meal preparation, companionship, mobility support, and household help that makes it possible for a veteran to remain safely at home between clinical visits.
That is exactly what No Place Like Home Care provides.
A veteran can be enrolled in HBPC and simultaneously receive non-medical in-home care through the VA Homemaker program or through private pay funded by Aid & Attendance. The two services are designed to coexist. No Place Like Home Care caregivers understand their non-medical scope completely: they support the veteran's daily life, monitor and report changes, and contact the family and HBPC team immediately when something requires clinical attention.
If your veteran has an HBPC social worker, that social worker can also fast-track a referral for respite care hours when family caregiver burnout is identified. No Place Like Home Care is available as that respite provider.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) & Home Care
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) and Home Care
Special Monthly Compensation is an additional tax-free benefit paid to veterans with particularly severe service-connected disabilities, beyond standard disability compensation. SMC tiers range from SMC-K through SMC-T, covering specific conditions including loss of limb, blindness, deafness, severe TBI, and the need for regular aid and attendance from another person.
Veterans receiving SMC at the R2 level, the tier covering veterans who require the daily personal care of a trained caregiver, must by VA regulation receive that care from a licensed professional agency. A family member or neighbor cannot satisfy the R2 requirement.
No Place Like Home Care is a licensed Pennsylvania home care agency. For veterans receiving SMC-R2 compensation, we are the type of provider the VA's own regulations require.
If you believe your veteran may qualify for Special Monthly Compensation, contact your VA benefits counselor or a VA-accredited claims agent. No Place Like Home Care does not provide benefits counseling, but we are happy to work alongside whatever benefits pathway the family is navigating.
A Nurse-Led Agency Built For Families
Who Don't Accept Shortcuts
A Nurse-Led Agency Built for Families Who Don't Accept Shortcuts
No Place Like Home Care was founded by Kelly Tyrrell, RN, a Registered Nurse with nearly 20 years of clinical experience across hospital settings, home health, acute rehabilitation, and executive healthcare leadership. Every care plan for every client, including every veteran and surviving spouse we serve, is personally nurse-designed and nurse-supervised by Kelly.
What that means for veteran families:
Every caregiver is background-checked, reference-verified, and skills-tested before their first shift. No Place Like Home Care employs all caregivers as W-2 employees, not independent contractors, not registry referrals. We carry full employer liability for every person who enters a veteran's home.
Caregiver matching is not random. Veterans who need care at specific times, who require caregivers with experience in particular health conditions, or who simply need someone with a certain personality and approach get a thoughtful match, reviewed by Kelly before placement is confirmed.
Kelly personally conducts or supervises every in-home assessment. For veteran families, that assessment includes a thorough review of the veteran's daily challenges, care needs, home environment, and any existing VA care in place. The goal is a care plan that works alongside everything else already happening, not one that duplicates or conflicts. No Place Like Home Care is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health (License HC-XXXXXX) and serves veterans and surviving spouses throughout Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties.
Who No Place Like Home Care Serves In The Veteran Community
Who No Place Like Home Care Serves in the Veteran Community
Veterans who need more daily support than the VA authorizes
The VA's 6 to 12 authorized hours per week leaves most veterans uncovered for the majority of their day. No Place Like Home Care provides the additional private-pay hours, funded by Aid & Attendance, that fill the gap.
Surviving spouses who qualify for Aid & Attendance
A surviving spouse of a wartime veteran may receive up to $1,153/month in Aid & Attendance pension benefits to fund non-medical in-home care. Most surviving spouses do not know this benefit exists.
Veterans enrolled in VA Home-Based Primary Care
HBPC manages the veteran's medical needs. No Place Like Home Care manages daily non-medical living support. The two teams work in parallel.
Veteran families awaiting VA contracting or approval
The VA process takes time. Families who need care now, and who qualify for Aid & Attendance, can start with No Place Like Home Care immediately while any other VA applications or contracting processes are pending.
Veterans with TBI, PTSD, or elevated dementia risk
Research confirms that veterans with traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder face significantly elevated lifetime risk of cognitive decline. For these families, No Place Like Home Care's Cognitive & Memory Care services provide trained non-medical dementia support alongside any VA clinical management in place.
Veterans receiving Special Monthly Compensation at the R2 level
SMC-R2 by VA regulation requires care from a licensed professional agency. No Place Like Home Care meets that requirement.
Every Veteran's Care Plan Is Personally Designed By
Kelly Tyrrell, RN
Every Veteran's Care Plan Is Personally Designed by Kelly Tyrrell, RN
Kelly Tyrrell, RN is the Founder & Clinical Director of No Place Like Home Care. She brings nearly 20 years of nursing experience across Medical-Surgical units, Emergency and Trauma departments, Telemetry, Acute Rehabilitation, and Home Health settings, as well as executive experience in home health operations and recruitment.
Our commitment to veterans is deeply personal. As a nurse-led agency founded by Kelly Tyrrell, whose father, grandfather, and uncle all proudly served in the United States military, we understand the profound meaning of service, sacrifice, and family.
Kelly personally conducts or directly supervises every initial assessment. For veteran families, that means a Registered Nurse, not an intake coordinator, not a scheduler, reviews your loved one's care needs, existing VA services, daily challenges, and home environment before any caregiver is assigned.
The nurse-led structure that separates No Place Like Home Care from most agencies in southeastern Pennsylvania is especially meaningful for veteran families who have grown accustomed to working with clinical professionals. Kelly speaks that language. She understands care plans, discharge summaries, and coordination with medical teams. And she holds herself and every caregiver on her team to clinical standards, even in a non-medical setting.
A Note On The VA Family Caregiver Stipend (PCAFC)
A Note on the VA Family Caregiver Stipend (PCAFC)
The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) provides a monthly tax-free stipend to a designated family member who provides full-time care to a veteran with a serious service-connected disability rating of 70% or higher. PCAFC also provides health insurance and respite care to eligible caregivers.
No Place Like Home Care is not a PCAFC payment program. We do not process or administer PCAFC stipends.
What we do provide is professional agency care for veteran families who:
Prefer a trained, vetted, supervised caregiver rather than a family caregiver arrangement
Have had a PCAFC application denied or revoked and need professional care immediately
Need support hours that exceed what the PCAFC arrangement covers
Are using Aid & Attendance benefits alongside or instead of PCAFC
If your family's PCAFC application has been denied or a previous approval has been revoked, call us at (610) 492-6632. Aid & Attendance benefits remain available as a separate pathway regardless of PCAFC status.
How Veteran Families Pay For No Place Like Home Care
How Veteran Families Pay for No Place Like Home Care
Aid & Attendance Pension Benefits
This is the primary VA-related payment pathway for No Place Like Home Care. Families whose veteran or surviving spouse qualifies for Aid & Attendance use those monthly benefit funds to pay No Place Like Home Care directly. A&A benefits are disbursed as part of the monthly pension check, families manage the payment the same way a private-pay client does.
Long-Term Care Insurance (LTCI)
Most long-term care insurance policies cover non-medical in-home care from a licensed agency. Veteran families who hold LTCI policies, including policies acquired during military service, should review their policy's home care benefit. No Place Like Home Care bills LTCI insurers directly.
Special Monthly Compensation (SMC)
Veterans receiving SMC benefits use those funds through the same private-pay process as Aid & Attendance. SMC is paid directly to the veteran and applied toward private agency care.
Private Pay
Families who do not currently hold VA pension benefits or LTCI coverage pay privately. No Place Like Home Care's rates reflect the actual cost of employing licensed, insured, background-checked caregivers. We do not accept Medicare or Medicaid.
Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) Budget
Some veterans enrolled in VA Home-Based Primary Care receive a Veteran-Directed Care budget, a monthly self-directed care fund. Depending on individual eligibility and local VA program availability, these funds may be applicable. Discuss VDC eligibility with your HBPC social worker.
No Place Like Home Care does not currently participate in the VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide program as a contracted provider. Families interested in that pathway should work with their VA physician or PACT Social Worker.
How To Get Started With No Place Like Home Care As A Veteran Family
Step 1 — Call or text (610) 492-6632
Veteran families tend to be phone-first. Call or text us directly. A member of Kelly's team will answer your questions about Aid & Attendance, walk through the process, and schedule a nurse-led assessment at your convenience.
Step 2 — Free nurse-led in-home assessment
Kelly Tyrrell, RN personally conducts or directly supervises every initial assessment. She will review the veteran's or surviving spouse's daily challenges, care needs, existing VA services, and home environment, and build a care plan around all of it.
Step 3 — Caregiver matching
Every caregiver assignment is personally reviewed before placement is confirmed. Veteran clients are matched based on health condition experience, personality fit, scheduling needs, and any specific preferences.
Step 4 — Care begins
How to Get Started with No Place Like Home Care as a Veteran Family
No Place Like Home Care can typically begin services within 24 to 72 hours for families in Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties.
Qualifying new clients receive their first 4 hours of care complimentary.
No VA pre-authorization is needed for Aid & Attendance clients. Families do not need to wait for VA approval to start receiving care from No Place Like Home Care.
Serving Veteran Families Throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania
Serving Veteran Families Throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania
No Place Like Home Care serves veterans and surviving spouses throughout Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties, Pennsylvania.
In Berks County, we serve veteran families in Reading, Wyomissing, Blandon, Fleetwood, Sinking Spring, Kutztown, and surrounding communities.
In Lehigh County, we serve veteran families in Allentown, Bethlehem, Emmaus, Macungie, Coopersburg, and surrounding communities.
In Lancaster County, we serve veteran families in Lancaster, Lititz, Manheim Township, Neffsville, and surrounding communities.
In Montgomery County, we serve veteran families in Blue Bell, Ambler, Dresher, Fort Washington, and surrounding communities.
To confirm service availability in your area, call or text (610) 492-6632 or visit noplacelikehomepa.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Home Care For Veterans
Frequently Asked Questions
Home Care for Veterans
Does the VA pay for home care for veterans?
Yes. The VA pays for home care through two separate pathways. The Homemaker and Home Health Aide program has the VA pay a licensed, contracted agency directly, but requires VA enrollment, a physician referral, and a service area with contracted providers. Aid & Attendance is a monthly pension benefit added to the veteran's or surviving spouse's check that can be used to pay any licensed home care agency, including No Place Like Home Care, with no VA contract required.
What is Aid & Attendance and who qualifies for it?
Aid & Attendance is an additional pension benefit for veterans and surviving spouses who need help with Activities of Daily Living. Veterans must have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period, be receiving or eligible for a VA pension, and require assistance with daily living tasks due to physical or cognitive limitations. Benefit amounts in 2026 reach up to $2,300 per month for a veteran and up to $1,153 per month for a surviving spouse.
Can a surviving spouse of a veteran receive home care benefits?
Yes. Surviving spouses of wartime veterans may qualify for Aid & Attendance pension benefits of up to $1,153 per month. The spouse must have been married to the veteran at the time of death and not remarried. They must require assistance with daily activities. This benefit is one of the most underutilized in the VA system, many surviving spouses do not know they qualify. No Place Like Home Care serves surviving spouses throughout Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties.
How many hours of home care does the VA typically authorize?
The VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide program typically authorizes 6 to 12 hours of care per week. Some veterans receive more in cases of greater clinical need. The VA does not authorize 24-hour in-home care under this program. Families who need daily coverage beyond what the VA authorizes often use Aid & Attendance benefits to fund the additional hours through a private agency like No Place Like Home Care.
Does the VA cover 24-hour in-home care?
No. The VA does not authorize 24-hour continuous in-home care through the Homemaker or HBPC programs. When a veteran requires around-the-clock supervision, the VA typically recommends placement in a VA Community Living Center or Medical Foster Home. Families who want to keep their veteran at home with 24-hour coverage use private-pay agency care funded by Aid & Attendance or long-term care insurance. No Place Like Home Care provides both hourly overnight care and full live-in care for veteran families in southeastern Pennsylvania.
Can No Place Like Home Care work alongside the VA Home-Based Primary Care team?
Yes, and this is by design. The VA's HBPC team manages medical care: physician oversight, therapy, medication management, and clinical monitoring. No Place Like Home Care manages non-medical daily living support: bathing, dressing, meal preparation, companionship, and household assistance. A veteran can be enrolled in HBPC and simultaneously receive non-medical in-home care. The HBPC social worker can also fast-track referrals for respite care when family caregiver burnout is identified, No Place Like Home Care is available as that respite provider.
What is Special Monthly Compensation and how does it relate to home care?
Special Monthly Compensation is an additional tax-free benefit for veterans with particularly severe service-connected disabilities. At the SMC-R2 level, covering veterans who require the daily personal care of a trained caregiver, VA regulation requires that care be provided by a licensed professional agency. No Place Like Home Care is a licensed Pennsylvania home care agency, meeting the regulatory requirement for SMC-R2 beneficiaries. Families receiving SMC benefits use those funds through the same private-pay process as Aid & Attendance.
How do I apply for VA Aid & Attendance benefits?
Aid & Attendance requires a formal application to the VA. The required forms include VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance) completed by a physician, and VA Form 21P-534EZ for surviving spouses. The application is submitted to the VA Pension Management Center. Processing typically takes several months. No Place Like Home Care does not process VA benefit applications, but we are happy to begin care under private pay or LTCI while the Aid & Attendance application is pending.
Can a veteran use both VA home care and private home care at the same time?
Yes. A veteran enrolled in the VA Homemaker program can simultaneously receive private-pay non-medical care from No Place Like Home Care for the hours the VA does not cover. Aid & Attendance funds can be used to pay for the private-pay hours. The two care arrangements operate independently, No Place Like Home Care does not bill the VA, and the VA care team manages its own authorization and scheduling. Both teams coordinate around the veteran's care plan.
How do I get started with No Place Like Home Care as a veteran or surviving spouse?
Call or text (610) 492-6632 or visit noplacelikehomepa.com. We will discuss your specific situation, including which VA benefits may apply, and schedule a free nurse-led in-home assessment with Kelly Tyrrell, RN. We can typically begin services within 24 to 72 hours for families in Berks, Lehigh, Lancaster, and Montgomery Counties. No VA pre-authorization is required for Aid & Attendance clients. Qualifying new clients receive their first 4 hours of care complimentary.
Compassionate Care. Right Where You Belong.
Serving families throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania:
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No Place Like Home Care is a Registered Non-Skilled Home Care Agency licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Health under License No. HC-XXXXXX.
To report a consumer complaint or concern, contact the PA DOH Home Health Hotline: 1-800-254-5164