Five San Diego Resources for Military Caregivers

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There are an estimated 650,000 family (aka unpaid) caregivers in San Diego County, and if the national averages hold true here, about 90,000 of those are caring for former or current military personnel. San Diego is a long-time military city, offering many resources for veterans and their caregivers. Here are some useful resources available in San Diego County specifically for military caregivers, home care aides and loved ones.

San Diego County Health & Human Services Agency

  • Legacy Corps
    • The Legacy Corp is a service group that provides free respite care to family caregivers for veterans of any age. Military family caregivers can schedule respite visits from a Legacy Corps member who has been interviewed, undergone a background check, and completed orientation. The program’s mission is to help relieve stress and lighten the load of caregivers in military families. Corps members must be 17 or older, and do not have to be former military themselves.
      • To request respite services (or to begin the application process) call 858-505-6305

The Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving

  • Operation Family Caregiver
    • This program was founded by the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, based in Georgia, and is run in San Diego by the Southern Caregiver Resource Center. Operation Family Caregiver (OFC) supports family caregivers who are caring for veterans, especially those with post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injury. The program’s coaches, licensed clinical social workers, will assess caregivers’ needs, then create and deliver a custom coaching and support plan. San Diego has four OFC coaches, and offers training, workshops, support groups, and respite as well.
      • Reach Operation Family Caregiver at (800) 827-1008 or (858) 268-4432
      • Find them online at caregivercenter.org or operationfamilycaregiver.org

The Veterans Administration San Diego Healthcare System

  • VA Caregiver Support offers:
    • A Caregiver Support Line
    • Peer Support Mentoring
    • The Building Better Caregivers training program
    • A Caregiver Support Coordinator
    • Primary Care, Skilled Home Care, Home Health Aides and Adult Day Care
      • The Caregiver Support Line is 855-260-3274

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers offers additional resources to those caring for seriously injured post-9/11 veterans, including (if eligible):

  • A financial stipend
  • Access to health care insurance
  • Mental health services and counseling
  • Caregiver training
  • Respite care
    • Apply through a Caregiver Support Coordinator, available at every VA Medical Center to assist Veterans and their caregivers with the application process
    • Or check your eligibility here, and call 1-877-222 VETS (8387) for help with the process.

The Naval Medical Center San Diego

  • The Defense and Veterans Brain Injury Center (DVBIC) serves veterans and service members with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and their family caregivers. Caregivers and medical providers supporting a TBI patient can access the DVBIC’s caregiver tool-kit, clinical white papers and fact sheets, and other educational materials. The DVBIC’s The Traumatic Brain Injury Recovery Support Program (RSP) assigns patients and caregivers a Recovery Support Specialist who helps them navigate the medical and non-medical services available to them, both through the military and locally.
    • Call the DVBIC at (760) 763-1693 or (619) 532-5508
    • Find the center online here

Online Resources and National Service Organizations