10 April 2014

Senate bill would expand benefits for caregivers | RallyPoint.com

By Patricia Kime, Staff Writer
Copyright: www.militarytimes.com

Responding to a Rand Corp. report issued last week on challenges facing those who care for ill or injured veterans, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Thursday introduced a bill that would increase federal support for this largely invisible group.

More than 5 million Americans provide care and support for veterans, with 1 million helping ill or injured Iraq and Afghanistan war-era veterans. According to the study, many often do so at great personal sacrifice, experiencing social isolation, income loss and poor health.

Roughly a third do not have health insurance, 62 percent face financial strain as a result of their circumstances, 28 percent left jobs to care for a veteran and nearly 40 percent meet the criteria for symptoms of depression — more than double that of civilian caregivers.

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