U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants to expand benefits for injured veterans' caregivers. Currently, caregivers of those who served on or after September 11, 2001 can receive a stipend. Durbin wants to allow veterans who served before 9/11 to have the same eligibility.
The Family Caregivers Program costs about $36,000 a year per veteran, but Durbin says it's worth the price.
"It isn't just a matter of dollars and cents, it's a matter of doing the right thing," he said. "Our obligations to our vets don't end after they come home, our obligations continue."
The program is meant as a way to save money that might otherwise be spent on nursing homes. The Department of Veterans Affairs spends an average of $332,000 a year for every veteran in a VA nursing home.
