VA Benefits
Of all the VA’s home and community options, Veteran-Directed Care gives families the most control — a monthly budget the veteran decides how to spend, including on adult day care. If you want choice rather than a one-size-fits-all assignment, this is the program to ask about.
Most VA care programs decide the services for you. Veteran-Directed Care (VD-HCBS — Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services) flips that: the VA sets a monthly budget, and the veteran, with help from a counselor, chooses what to buy and who provides it. For many Philadelphia families, that means using part of the budget on structured, supervised days at a program like Penn Village while keeping their veteran at home.
How VD-HCBS works
1 A set monthly budget
Based on the veteran’s assessed needs, the VA establishes a flexible monthly spending amount for home and community services.
2 The veteran directs the plan
With a counselor’s support, the veteran (or their representative) chooses services and providers — including adult day care, personal care aides, and certain goods that help them stay safe at home.
3 A financial agency handles the paperwork
A supporting agency manages payments and bookkeeping, so the family focuses on care decisions rather than invoices.
The whole idea of Veteran-Directed Care is choice — you decide what a good day looks like, and the budget follows that decision.
Why families use part of the budget on adult day care
A flexible budget is only useful if the services actually solve the problem. For a veteran who can’t be safely alone all day — because of memory loss, a recent dementia diagnosis, or recovery from a stroke — adult day care covers the exact hours a working caregiver can’t. It also does something in-home hourly help often doesn’t: gives the veteran a real community, meals, licensed nursing oversight, and activity, not just a set of eyes. And with door-to-door transportation, the logistics don’t fall back on the family.
How to ask for it in Philadelphia
Your next steps
- Contact the Geriatrics & Extended Care or social work team at your VA medical center and ask specifically about Veteran-Directed Care (VD-HCBS) — not every family is told it exists.
- Ask how the monthly budget is determined and whether adult day care is an approved use in your plan.
- Tell your counselor you’d like to include Penn Village as a provider — we accept VA-supported participants.
- If VD-HCBS isn’t the right fit, ask about Adult Day Health Care and Aid & Attendance as alternatives.
Not sure which VA door is yours? Start with our overview of whether the VA pays for adult day care, or just call us and we’ll help you sort it out.
Want to use your VA budget on days that actually help?
We’ll help you add Penn Village to your Veteran-Directed Care plan and coordinate transport.
This article is general information, not benefits advice. VD-HCBS availability and budgets are determined by the VA and vary by location and assessed need. Confirm your options with your VA medical center.
Related reading & resources
