Reaching Out to Improve Access to End-of-Life Care for Veterans

Many professionals working in end-of-life care might not realize that more than 50,000 veterans die each month; that’s roughly 28% of all deaths in the United States. Across the nation hospices and veterans facilities are working together to improve care for veterans at the end of life as part of the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospice and Palliative Care Initiative (VAHPC).

“Reaching Out: Quality Hospice and Palliative Care for Rural and Homeless Veterans—Executive Summary” The purpose of the “Reaching Out” initiative was to partner community hospice and palliative care providers with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in addressing end-of-life issues for homeless veterans and veterans living in rural areas.

As a result of the eighteen grantee communities’ heightened awareness of their local veterans, veterans’ needs, and the benefits to which veterans are entitled, project staff from each grantee program has made efforts to implement practices that have resulted in positive programmatic changes, including:

increased utilization of the Military History Checklist by hospice providers;
improved coordination of care among providers;
better identification and tracking of homeless veterans;
increased use of technology to communicate with veterans; and
an increased number of contracts between the VA Medical Centers and community hospices.

Grants Supporting Access to Hospice and Palliative Care for Veterans Awarded for 2nd Year (03/22/10)

Hospice Veterans Partnership/VA 101 Toolkit

One of the programs launched by the VAHPC is the National Hospice Veteran Partnership (HVP) Program. HVPs are coalitions of Veterans Affairs (VA) facilities, community hospices, end-of-life care or community organizations and others, working together to ensure that excellent end-of-life care is available for our nation’s veterans and their families.

The HVP/VA 101 Toolkit is a collection of documents and PowerPoint slide sets compiled to provide background information and resources for:

HVP coalition start-up and maintenance, and
speakers presenting on subjects related to end-of-life care for veterans.

There are no copyright restrictions or limitations on the distribution and use of the content of this Toolkit, though appropriate attribution is requested.

Military History Checklist for Hospice Patients

The Military History Checklist is designed to help community hospices identify their veteran patients, evaluate the impact of the experience and determine if there are benefits to which the veteran and surviving dependents may be entitled. This Guide provides a quick overview of the questions and implications for each. Additional information can be found in the Military History Toolkit and on the Department of Veterans Affairs Web site, www.va.gov.

Military History Checklist Guide (PDF)
Military History Checklist (PDF)

Helpful Resources for Working with Veterans

Military History Toolkit
- Homeless Veterans at Life’s End [PPT]
- Service Related Diseases, Illnesses and Conditions [PPT]
- Veterans Benefits [PPT]

VA Hospice and Palliative Care Initiative

Additional Outreach Materials

Caring Connections, NHPCO's consumer education program provides information about: Advance Care Planning, Hospice and Palliative Care, Caregiving, Grief, and more. A number of Hospice Veterans Coalitions are using Caring Connections fact sheets and brochures in in their ongoing efforts to education communities about quality care and advance care planning. Visit Caring Connections at www.caringinfo.org for comprehensive information on end-of-life.

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