Federal grant to help SC veterans age with independence

The Lt. Governor’s Office on Aging has been awarded a $750,000 federal grant to help veterans age with independence. This two- year grant from the Administration on Aging is to improve access to information and services for non-Medicaid eligible veterans and seniors who need nursing home level of care but who choose to remain in the community.  The Office on Aging says in the past decade the number of veterans over 85 has tripled with more than 56,000 South Carolina veterans receiving monthly disability compensation. Under the grant, veterans would decide the mix of goods and services to their needs by managing a flexible, individual budget to hire their own workers, including family or friends. Services include personal care for assistance with eating, bathing, dressing, grooming, transferring, as well as assistance with cleaning, laundry, and meals, adult day care, and assistive technology.
The pilot for the grant will be in the Trident Area which includes Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties.  The Trident Aging and Disability Resource Center and the Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center in Charleston will be the lead agencies.