Update, October 7, 2026: the committee held its first meeting today, with Evan as chair. Read the announcement.

Service shapes the end of life, too

Veterans often carry their service with them to the very end: the pride, the friendships, and sometimes the hard memories. Care teams do better work when they understand that, and when they know how to connect families to the benefits and recognition veterans have earned.

An advisory committee keeps it practical

The committee's job is to bring veterans and people who serve them into the room, so the hospice hears directly what matters to veterans and their families and turns it into better everyday care.

What families can do now

• Tell the care team the person served, and when. It changes how they can help.
• Ask about VA benefits. VA covers hospice care for enrolled veterans, and a county veterans service officer can help with benefits for the family at no cost.
• If the veteran would want it, ask about recognition. Many hospices and veterans groups honor veterans at the bedside.

Through VETTED, I work with veterans and their families at home every day. The Veteran Advisory Committee is one more way to make sure veterans are cared for the way they cared for us.

Plan carefully

Good outcomes are usually decided before the work starts. Before a caregiver walks into a veteran's home, we want to know the routine, the risks in the house, and who to call if something changes. Before we bid on a federal contract, we want to know exactly how we'll perform it. Planning isn't paperwork. It's respect for the people depending on you.

Make roles clear

When everyone knows their job, teams move fast and problems surface early. When roles are fuzzy, things fall through the cracks, and in home care the cracks are where people get hurt. At VETTED, every veteran has a named care coordinator, and every contract has a named lead.

Do the small things right, every time

Show up on time. Return the call the same day. Write down what was done. Tell the truth when something went wrong. None of it is heroic. All of it adds up to whether people can trust you.

That's the standard I try to hold myself to, and the one we're building VETTED on. You can learn more about the company at vettedvc.com.

Lead the program, and do the work

A set-aside isn't a pass-through. When VETTED is the prime, we lead the program and perform the work we're responsible for. Contracting officers deserve to know exactly who is accountable, and it should be us.

Team with veteran-owned businesses first

When a requirement needs partners, we look to other veteran-owned and service-disabled veteran-owned businesses first. Veterans building companies should be building them together.

Report honestly, especially when it's bad news

Every job hits a problem eventually. The standard I hold our team to is simple: tell the customer early, tell them the truth, and bring a plan to fix it. The same rule applies at home, where our caregivers report changes in a veteran's condition to the family and the VA care team.

Do the small things right, every time

Timesheets filed on time. Sites left cleaner than we found them. Calls returned the same day. None of it is glamorous, and all of it is how trust gets built.

So far VETTED has delivered prime contracts for the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Army, the Navy and the Treasury, in work ranging from hazardous waste removal to grounds maintenance, signage and security. If you're a contracting officer or a prime looking for an SDVOSB partner, you can reach me at evan@vettedvc.com.

That means the questions you ask matter. These are the ones I'd ask any agency, and the ones I expect families to ask VETTED.

1. Do you run criminal background checks on every caregiver? State and national, plus references.
2. Are caregivers your employees? Employees are trained, supervised and covered by workers' compensation. Contractors and "registries" often aren't.
3. Can you show proof of insurance and bonding?
4. What training happens before a caregiver works alone? Look for a hands-on skills check, not just a video.
5. Who supervises the caregiver, and how often? Ask for a name.
6. What happens when the regular caregiver is sick? There should be a real backup plan.
7. Will we get a written care plan? It should list the tasks for each visit.
8. For VA care: can you staff all the hours VA authorized? An agency that can only fill half isn't a good fit.
9. Will you keep the VA social worker informed? Missed visits and changes in condition should be reported.
10. How do I raise a concern, and who calls me back?

Be wary of anyone who pressures you into a long contract, charges to help file VA benefit claims (accredited service officers do that free), or promises what VA will approve. Only VA decides that.

We put our own answers in writing on the VETTED guide to choosing a home care agency.

1. Start with the veteran's VA care team

Call the veteran's VA primary care team or social worker and say plainly that the veteran needs help at home. Describe what has gotten hard: bathing, dressing, meals, getting around the house, memory. If the veteran isn't enrolled in VA health care yet, that comes first. A county veterans service officer can help with enrollment at no cost.

2. Let VA assess, and ask about respite too

VA decides whether the veteran qualifies for Homemaker / Home Health Aide care and how many hours a week make sense. A service-connected disability rating isn't required for this kind of care. If a spouse or adult child is doing most of the caregiving, ask about respite care as well, so the caregiver can get a break.

3. Ask for the agency you want by name

When VA sends the referral to a community home care agency, you can ask for a specific one. Ask the social worker what's possible in your area. A good agency will call you quickly, learn the veteran's routine, and give you an honest start date.

What I'd want every family to know

• VA, not the agency, decides eligibility and hours.
• VA pays the agency directly for authorized hours. Some veterans owe a copay for extended care; many owe nothing.
• You can change agencies if the fit isn't right. Talk to the social worker.

At VETTED we accept VA community care referrals across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties in Michigan. Our full family guide, Does the VA pay for home care?, walks through the details, including costs.