in effect
This is a final rule from the Department of Veterans Affairs that extends a protection period for a specific group of family caregivers enrolled in VA’s Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) under older eligibility rules. It finalizes and builds on two earlier temporary extensions that were published as interim rules in 2021 and 2022.
The rule moves the end date of the “transition period” for the legacy cohort from September 30, 2025, to September 30, 2028 — a three-year extension. During this transition period, legacy cohort members keep their current PCAFC benefits and eligibility status rather than being immediately reassessed under newer criteria. The regulation text in 38 CFR sections 71.20, 71.30, and 71.40 is updated to replace references to a “five-year” period with “eight-year” and to change the year 2025 to 2028 wherever it appears. VA says this extension is necessary because it received 842 comments on a separate December 2024 proposed rule that would overhaul PCAFC eligibility, and that volume of comments made it impossible to finalize new rules before the old deadline expired.
The rule applies to “legacy participants” (veterans’ caregivers already enrolled in PCAFC under pre-2020 eligibility standards), “legacy applicants” (those who applied under those older standards), and their designated Family Caregivers — collectively called the legacy cohort. These individuals will continue receiving their PCAFC stipend and other program benefits through at least September 30, 2028, without being discharged or reduced solely because of the expiration of the prior transition deadline.