The VA Caregiver Support Line: A Gateway of Support for Caregivers of Veterans.

ABSTRACT

In passing the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act of 2010, Congress created a legislative mandate for the Veterans Administration (VA) to strengthen its program of support services for caregivers of veterans. As part of this expansion, the VA implemented a nationwide toll-free telephone Caregiver Support Line (CSL). The CSL is a single point of entry system to link caregivers to national and local services to support care of a veteran. This article describes the CSL and its role in supporting aging veterans and their caregivers, discusses social workers' contributions to its development and implementation, and reports utilization data.