Some North Texas veterans trying to stay in their own homes as they age say they fear that may no longer be possible. This week, their home healthcare benefits were slashed.
DeeDee Dickinson was just 18 when she enlisted in the Navy. She said her survival rests on the government she once chose to serve.
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WATCH HERE“My day exists inside the house,” said Dickinson. Dickinson has lupus and has been wheelchair bound since 2019.
Her benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs cover the caretakers who have allowed her to stay in her Carrollton home.
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SIGN UP "Showers. She has to change me,” she said.
Most importantly, an aide has to strap Dickinson into a lift to get her out of bed every morning and back into it at night.
The VA currently contracts with ComForCar to provide the service.
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This week, the home healthcare company alerted Dickinson that the VA had slashed the hours that she would have a caretaker in her home each week from 58 to just 14.
"We haven't found any solutions at this point,” said owner Laura Smithen.
Smithen and her husband, David, said the reductions are impacting all of the nearly 30 veterans they serve.
"For now, we don't know how we're going to manage to get them care. We don't want to abandon them, of course,” she said.
"We don't have a choice,” said David Smithen.
Back in March, the VA announced a plan to improve efficiency, terminating nearly 600 contracts and eliminating up to 80,000.
Friday, the agency told NBC 5, the cuts at ComForCare are not due to funding or restructuring changes.
A spokesperson wrote:
“ComForCare is one of several contracted community health providers within the VA Home Maker Home Health Aide Program (H/HHA). VA North Texas Health Care System is conducting a systemwide review of this program to ensure services, like those provided by Comforcare, are focused on their core mission of providing hands-on medical services that allow Veterans to remain safely in their homes.
VA is also working to ensure that any Veteran who receives reduced service hours as a result of this change can receive care through other VA programs, including caregiver support, respite, community living center, and community nursing home care.
Veterans can contact us at (469) 797-2101 with questions or concerns.”
For now, Dickinson said she's paying a neighbor to help her with crucial tasks, like getting into bed at night, but she can't afford to do that forever.
"I just wonder how many days or nights that I'm going to end up in this chair,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Smithens are helping her and other patients appeal.
"The ultimate bottom line is, we should not defund our veterans and the care that they so desperately need,” said David Smithen.
Friday, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett announced that she sent a letter to the Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs calling for an investigation into staffing cuts mandated by the Trump Administration.
She raised concerns that reductions have reportedly delayed veterans’ access to critical surgeries, mental health services, and more at the Dallas VA Medical Center.
