Retired Staff Sgt. Matt Lammers holds the hand of his wife, Alicia, before the swimming competition at the 2019 Department of Defense Warrior Games in Clearwater, Fla. Alicia has been Matt's official caregiver for nearly eight years, but she was cut from the Department of Veterans Affairs' caregiver program last December. (Eve Edelheit | NPR)

As the Department of Veterans Affairs plans to expand eligibility for its program supporting unpaid family caregivers, advocates are insisting that it move away from a “recovery based” model that sometimes conditions program participation on a veteran’s recovery from injury or disability. A member of the VA’s caregiver advisory committee says that the focus should shift to “sustaining … life,” recognizing that some disabilities, like paralysis, are permanent.