As we celebrate Veterans Day, we’re proud to recognize the contributions of veterans in the home care industry and of veteran-owned agencies within the Paradigm family. At Paradigm, we’re honored to support over 3,500 home care agencies across the country, many of which were founded by veterans who continue to serve their communities through dedicated home care services. Their stories reflect a commitment to service, resilience, and community—a testament to the lasting impact of their experiences in uniform. Here are a few inspiring examples of veterans that exemplify the values that we strive to uphold every day.
Robert H. Saunders Jr.
Robert H. Saunders Jr. is the Owner of Senior Helpers High Point, North Carolina. He served in the United States Army.
Military Service and Lasting Impact
Robert’s military journey began with a desire to serve his country and make a meaningful impact. He enlisted with a strong commitment to protect and defend, which ultimately led him to serve during Operation Desert Storm. Those were challenging times that tested his strength, discipline, and the power of camaraderie. Amid uncertainty, the bonds he formed with his fellow soldiers became an essential source of support and resilience. Serving in high-stakes situations and being part of something bigger than himself instilled in him values like empathy, resilience, and the importance of supporting others—qualities that continue to inspire and guide him today.
Path to Home Care: A Mission of Compassion and Service
After his military service, Robert was determined to continue serving others in a way that directly helped people. Home care felt like a natural path, aligning with the values he carried from the military: dedication, compassion, and resilience. He recognized the essential role of support in helping people through physical and emotional challenges - especially veterans like himself who often need reliable assistance in daily life. By choosing this field, Robert aimed to provide the respect, care, and dignity that people merit, with a special focus on supporting veterans who have faced unique challenges.
Working with Veterans Affairs: Fulfilling yet Complex
For Robert, working with Veterans Affairs is both rewarding and challenging. On one hand, the VA gives him the chance to give back to fellow veterans in a deeply meaningful way. Connecting with clients who have shared similar experiences creates a bond of trust and understanding that enhances the quality of care provided. Veterans appreciate the comfort of knowing their caregiver truly understands their journey.
However, the VA’s administrative requirements can be complex and time-consuming, sometimes causing delays in care. Navigating these bureaucratic processes often poses challenges for both veterans and caregivers, as these barriers can limit the speed and extent of care. Balancing high-quality service with the demands of VA administration is an ongoing challenge that Robert faces with determination.
Desired Changes in Home Care for Veterans
Robert envisions a home care system where veterans can more easily access the support they need. He advocates for a streamlined process within the VA, allowing veterans to qualify for and receive home care without unnecessary delays—a change that would be especially valuable for those facing physical or mental health challenges. Additionally, he believes the industry would benefit from specialized training and resources for caregivers working with veterans—many of whom have unique needs stemming from PTSD, physical disabilities, or other service-connected conditions. By providing caregivers with enhanced training, Robert hopes to see a home care industry where every veteran receives empathetic, efficient, and tailored support.
Nolan Chandler
Nolan is the Owner and Director of Griswold Home Care of Greater Temecula, CA. He served in the United States Marine Corps.
Military Journey and Motivation to Serve
Nolan Chandler joined the Marine Corps after completing law school, where he also met his wife. Initially, he thought he was too old to enlist, but after learning about an age waiver for attorneys, he decided to pursue his long-held desire to serve. He completed nine months of infantry training, followed by specialized training in military law. His time in the Marines offered unique experiences, from training with live ammunition and handling high-caliber weaponry. Although serving in the military presented its challenges, Nolan values the experiences and the skills that he gained.
Personal Inspiration to Enter Home Care
Nolan’s path into home care was inspired by a personal experience with his grandmother, who fell ill while he was a young college student. Due to the circumstances, she was without the authority to make her own care decisions. Reflecting on the potential impact home care might have had on her life, he felt drawn to the field. Unlike other service industries, Nolan found that home care allowed him to make a real difference in people’s lives. This sense of purpose ultimately solidified his choice to dedicate himself to providing compassionate care.
Working with Veterans Affairs: Opportunities and Challenges
Once Nolan began his home care career, he learned about the VA benefits available to elderly or disabled veterans. Motivated to help, he applied for VA credentials but encountered obstacles, including limited congressional support and a slow credentialing process. With help from Paradigm, especially from Greg Bean, his application progressed due to his status as a disabled veteran. His business’s application is still pending final approval from the VA, and, from Nolan’s perspective, this further highlights the need for clearer support from the VA for veterans in home care.
Desired Changes in the Home Care Industry for Veterans
Nolan sees room for improvement in how the home care industry supports veterans. He suggests that the VA could streamline its credentialing process to prioritize veteran-owned businesses, making it easier for veterans to serve their communities. He also supports the establishing of new initiatives, such as a new VA program to strengthen connections between veteran-owned businesses and local VA medical centers. These changes would enhance both the quality of care veterans receive and the support available to the veteran-owned businesses dedicated to serving them.
Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones is the Owner and Administrator of FirstLight Virginia Beach. He served in the United States Navy.
Military Service and Joining a Military-Focused Team
Matthew joined the Navy just two weeks after the September 11 attacks, driven by a strong sense of duty. His eight-year military service began with 18 months in Search and Rescue before he trained as a Navy Special Operations Diver. Today, Matthew leads a home care company with a deeply rooted military ethos. His team includes individuals with strong connections to military service: a nurse manager who served as a Navy Nurse, a director of nursing who is a Coast Guard spouse, an administrative assistant who is a Navy spouse, and an HR generalist who served in the Army. Together, they share pride in serving veterans and are committed to making sure that these clients receive respectful and compassionate care.
Path to Home Care: Continuing a Life of Service
After leaving the Navy, Matthew continued his service by joining the Virginia Beach Fire Department. There, he frequently responded to 911 calls for non-emergent needs, such as missed medications or injuries, underscoring a critical gap in support for elderly and veteran residents. Realizing that many seniors in his community needed more consistent help, he started researching about the home care field and discovered a way to address these issues. Inspired to make a difference, he launched a home care company in Virginia Beach to provide this essential support. Today, Matthew is backed by an incredible team who shares his dedication. Together, they bring a unique blend of military experience and a shared commitment to serving those in need.
Working with Veterans Affairs: Pros and Challenges
Matthew holds a dual perspective on the VA—while grateful for its role in supporting veterans, he often feels frustrated by its complex bureaucracy and limitations in care. Many of his VA clients, for instance, require far more assistance than they are allotted. He shared one example of a bed-bound client receiving only nine hours of home care per week. Despite his persistent efforts to advocate for more comprehensive support, red tape frequently stands in the way, as do low reimbursement rates. Yet, Matthew and his team remain steadfast in their mission, continuing to serve VA clients - even when it means taking a financial hit - because they believe that veterans deserve the highest quality of care.
Changes Needed for Veterans in the Home Care System
Matthew envisions a future VA system that provides more extensive support for veterans in need, including additional hours of care for those with severe needs and an increase in VA social workers. Currently, each VA social worker is responsible for thousands of clients, a volume that makes it difficult to ensure proper care. He also advocates for stronger oversight of home care providers in the VA network, as he has encountered clients who suffered under subpar care from less reputable agencies. While he recognizes that no system can be perfect, Matthew believes there is considerable room for improvement within the VA to better serve veterans and ensure they receive the quality care they are worthy of.
Eric Carter
Eric Carter is the Director of Support Services at the Caring Senior Service National Headquarters. He served in the United States Army.
Military Journey
Eric’s drive to join the military was shaped by his love for history and a family legacy of service. With relatives who had served in the Vietnam War, the Army, the Marine Corps, and the U.S. military reserves, he felt destined to join. After two years of college, he enlisted in the Army as a combat medic during the Gulf War. Eric completed basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with further training later in his career in nuclear medicine and as a radiology tech at various locations. Over nine years of service, Eric experienced diverse military life, from training in Texas to assignment in Germany shortly after the Berlin Wall’s fall. His military path combined medical and combat training with social and political awareness, fostering skills he would later bring into civilian healthcare.
Transition to Home Care
Eric’s journey into home care began through deeply personal experiences. When his grandfather was taken advantage of by a hired caregiver and, later, when his father-in-law struggled in a nursing home, Eric recognized the need for compassionate, high-quality home care. Seeing the struggles of other family members in long-term care reinforced his dedication to quality service for seniors. His experience made him keenly aware of how meaningful home care can be for individuals and families, motivating him to work with Caring Senior Services to ensure that vulnerable individuals receive dependable care.
Working with Veterans Affairs: Benefits and Challenges
Eric’s connection to the VA became personal when his father, a Vietnam veteran with Parkinson’s, needed care. Navigating the VA’s complex network, he managed to get his father upgraded to a 100% disability rating, opening doors to more comprehensive benefits. Working with Paradigm helped him understand even more of the benefits available, but the process remains frustratingly complex. Although the VA system has improved, Eric notes that veterans often lack information on available benefits, creating a barrier to accessing essential care. Local VA office challenges persist, as Eric has seen with San Antonio’s VA medical center, making it difficult for providers to offer seamless care for veterans.
Changes Desired in the Home Care Industry for Veterans
Eric advocates for simplifying the VA’s processes and making information on benefits readily accessible to veterans and families. He believes that outreach through veteran service organizations could bridge the awareness gap and ensure more veterans and their families understand what is available. He emphasizes that asking the right questions is often essential to unlocking benefits, an area where clearer guidance from the VA could significantly improve outcomes. For him, educating providers and families alike on navigating VA resources is key to ensuring that veterans receive the care they deserve.
Paradigm is honored to support those who have served. This Veterans Day, we are inspired by these stories of resilience, dedication, and continued commitment to service.
