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Group calls for paying caregivers of wounded

Family members caring for severely wounded service members should receive pay for the medical and nonmedical assistance they provide to at least partly offset their time, the National Military Family Association says.

Compensation should be paid both while the injured members are on active duty, and after they separate or retire, said Barbara Cohoon, deputy government relations director for the association.

The call for pay comes in response to an April 2009 report by the Center for Naval Analyses that found 85 percent of primary caregivers for seriously wounded or disabled service members left their jobs, either permanently or by taking a leave of absence, resulting in an average loss of $3,200 a month in family income.

The losses begin while the service member is still on active duty and continue for the severely disabled as they undergo treatment and rehabilitation as a veteran, Cohoon said in a June 4 interview.

Exactly how much they should receive is unclear, Cohoon said. The association proposes a monthly allowance for the family caregiver providing nonmedical care and hourly wages for those who provide medical care.

Rates could vary depending on changes in the service member’s medical condition and treatment, Cohoon said.

Financial help is available to some severely injured service members through the Traumatic Injury Insurance program that provides one-time payments of up to $100,000. The allowance or wages proposed by Cohoon and the family association would be in addition to the insurance payment.

Legislation is pending in Congress that would pay wages to family caregivers providing medical care to severely injured veterans if the family member was certified to provide the care, but it would not extend to active-duty families.

The April study by CNA, a nonprofit research institution, found family caregivers spend an average of 10 hours a week for an average of 19 weeks providing care for severely injured, ill or disabled service members and veterans. About 43 percent expect to do it for rest of their lives.

According to the report, about 720 service members need caregivers, with 170 considered to have very serious medical problems.