By Karee White, 2018 Dole Caregiver Fellow, North Carolina
In 2014, our daughter Kimmy suffered a severe traumatic brain injury while deployed in Afghanistan. For a year, we stood by her side as she lay in a coma, traveling up and down the east coast while clinicians fought to help her emerge. When she finally woke, doctors told us there was nothing more they could do. At just 25 years old, fully incapacitated, we brought Kimmy home to live with us.
We were unprepared for the level of care she needed. Life became isolating and exhausting. Six of our nine children, still at home, saw less and less of us as we devoted every moment to Kimmy’s care. Financial strain followed—my husband lost his job while balancing caregiving and parenting, and I spent every hour tending to our daughter. The VA provided just six hours of unskilled caregiving per day, but agency caregivers lacked training in brain injury care. They met Kimmy’s basic needs but struggled to understand her, leaving her frustrated and unable to communicate.
Desperate for a better solution, I discovered Veteran-Directed Care, a VA program that gives veterans control over their long-term care by allowing them to hire caregivers and manage services based on their needs. It intrigued me, offering a promising alternative to agency caregivers. I wrote an article about it and got it published in Brain Injury Hope Magazine, ensuring VA leadership received a copy.
A few months later, we caught a caregiver physically abusing Kimmy on camera. Instead of going to the media, I turned to the VA leadership, urging them to adopt Veteran-Directed Care for families like ours. They listened. Kimmy, a wounded warrior, needed more than basic care—she needed caregivers who understood her, anticipated her needs, and provided companionship.
Veteran-Directed Care transformed our lives. Over the past four years, Kimmy has made incredible progress. She continues to grow, defying expectations, and we remain hopeful for her future. The program allowed us to recruit nursing students from a local community college, building a partnership that benefits both the students and Kimmy. These caregivers, eager for hands-on experience, provide her with individualized care they wouldn’t get to offer in a hospital setting.
By eliminating the contracted agency requirement, we not only improved Kimmy’s quality of care but also saved the VA money. We can pay our caregivers a higher wage, ensuring retention, and even involve trusted family members when needed. While we use all our Veteran-Directed Care funds on caregiving, the program’s flexibility ensures we can adapt as Kimmy’s needs evolve.
Veteran-Directed Care gave Kimmy—and our family—hope, dignity, and a better quality of life. For families like ours, it’s more than a program; it’s a lifeline.
