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The Air Force Aid Society Respite Care Program is intended for active duty Air Force families who have a family member with special needs. The goal of the program is to provide a "break" for a few hours a week or month to families who have the responsibility of 24 hour a day care for an ill or disabled family member. This person may be a child, spouse, or parent living in the household. The stress of providing care, the burden of medical expenses, plus the high cost of hiring someone to provide care, make it difficult if not impossible to be able to afford even a few hours away. These families rarely ask for help. They quietly endure the burden of caring for a profoundly disabled, seriously ill, or terminally ill family member.
AFAS Assistance for respite is based on need -- the need for respite time, as well as financial need, and is always given as a grant. Families with a special needs family member who have the financial means to pay for care should do so. Our program is intended to assist those who cannot afford it and would otherwise never get a "break".
Families are referred to the Air Force Aid Society for respite care through the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) or the Family Advocacy Office. A respite certificate is issued by the Family Advocacy/EFMP Officer. The certificate contains a recommendation for the number of hours required to meet the individual family's need over the next three to four months and brief description of the EFMP clients condition. Cases should be reevaluated quarterly by the Family Advocacy office to be certain that respite care is still required at the recommended level, and is being used as intended to benefit the family. If there is still a need for respite, a new certificate should be issued and the client advised that a budget will be required before additional assistance is rendered.
The Air Force Aid Society officer (AFASO) is responsible for oversight of the program and will review the certificate to make certain the hours recommended and the cost of the care are reasonable and within AFAS policy guidelines. Four to six hours a week is the average number of respite hours requested, and each certificate should be limited to a three month period unless special circumstances exist and an exception has been approved by HQ AFAS.
Although the program is based on financial need, the first certificate is issued without a budget. If a family has need for additional respite time following the completion of the first certificate, a budget will be required. This budget will be used by the Air Force Aid Society personnel to recommend other areas of assistance. Our goal is to allow respite time while finances are adjusted to work toward budgeting for self financed care.
It is the family's responsibility to find a care provider with whom they are comfortable. Care may be provided in the family's home or in out-of home settings. Although costs for care will vary slightly, depending on location or the uniqueness of the case, the average cost is under $5.00 an hour. We will not provide assistance for a relative to provide care. If a relative is available, the family may feel most comfortable with that person caring for their loved one, but the AFAS should not be asked to pay for this. We could, however, pay to bring a relative from another location if this will provide a solution to an ongoing need for help. Likewise, we would not pay for care provided by another family in the Respite Care Program.
While we have helped in situations where the person needing care is so seriously ill that professional care is required, the cost of such care is often beyond that which the AFAS can fund on a continuing basis. We have, on a case-by-case basis, provided funds for professional care for a short period while alternative avenues of funding were explored.
Once the family has found a caregiver and agrees on the hourly rate, the military member should bring the respite care certificate into the Air Force Aid Society office. The AFASO should ensure that the member understands that AFAS will provide funds for care up to the number of hours per week or month approved, and up to the dollar amount committed for that time period. Payment will be made after the care has been provided and checks will be made payable to the caregiver. The Respite Care Program Caregiver Verification Form should be given to the member. This form must be signed by the care provider as well as the military member before a check can be issued.
In addition to respite care, the AFAS may be able to assist these families in other ways. Often out -of-pocket medical expenses put additional strains on an already tight budget. We have found that many times merely helping with some past due medical expenses, purchasing some specialized equipment, or just getting them networked with a support group, can ease their stress.
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