# Home Excellence Research and Outcomes Center to Advance, Redefine and Evaluate Non-institutional Caregiving (HERO CARE)

> **NIH VA I50** · SOUTH TEXAS VETERANS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM · 2024 · —

## Abstract

Background: The goal of the Elizabeth Dole Center of Excellence (EDCoE) is to expand VA capacity to
deliver integrated, Veteran- and caregiver-partnered, data-driven approaches to non-institutional care. The
care of Veterans across a range of disabilities and ages requires the involvement of caregivers and use of
home- and community-based services. Yet information regarding which Veterans are most likely to benefit
specific services is lacking, current systems of treatment delivery too often fail to meet Veterans’ needs,
services available are often limited, and a comprehensive system for implementing, evaluating, and
disseminating best practices through VA operational offices has not been fully developed.
Significance: Using the chronic care model as our framework, we propose a set of aims that builds on our
results to date to enable the VA to provide the most effective non-institutional care matched to each
Veteran’s needs and circumstances. Our work supports the rapid production of knowledge, using shared
metrics as a common platform for evaluation, with the goal of empowering Veterans, caregivers, VA and
non-VA providers, and leadership to make informed choices regarding care services and program planning.
Innovation & Impact: Over 5 million Veterans receive support from unpaid caregivers, typically family or
friends. Identifying ways to better support these caregivers and the Veterans for whom they care improves
both Veteran and caregiver outcomes, allowing Veterans to remain safely in their homes for as long as
possible, and enabling VA to make the most effective use of its resources.
Specific Aims:
Aim 1: Implement and assess innovative interventions to improve HCBS at each of the EDCoE VAMCs,
using a hybrid implementation / effectiveness approach to evaluate feasibility and impact. We will leverage
novel innovations already being undertaken at our VAMCs and by our operational partners.
Aim 2: Develop, validate, and refine targeted measures for evaluating HCBS based on Veteran, caregiver,
and operational priorities. We will use findings from our stakeholder engagement work, environmental scan,
and research agenda setting to identify target measures for adoption within the VA to address measurement
gaps, including those consistent with the VA’s goal to implement the Campaign for Inclusive Care.
Aim 3: Better match home- and community-based services based on Veterans’ and caregivers’ needs. We
will extend our analyses of administrative and survey data to improve our understanding of the services that
best meet the different populations’ needs, linking with our longitudinal survey to incorporate caregiver data.
Aim 4: Identify and assess underrepresented caregivers: youth, non-family caregivers, and survivors. Our
work to date has underscored the need to better serve these groups. Our proposal will provide a better
understanding of their lived experiences to allow VA to develop targeted programs to best meet their needs.
Aim 5: Expand VA capa...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 11000574
- **Project number:** 2I50HX002767-06
- **Recipient organization:** SOUTH TEXAS VETERANS HEALTH CARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** LUCI LEYKUM
- **Activity code:** I50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2024-10-01 → 2029-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/11000574

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 11000574, Home Excellence Research and Outcomes Center to Advance, Redefine and Evaluate Non-institutional Caregiving (HERO CARE) (2I50HX002767-06). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-28 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/11000574. Licensed CC0.

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