You already know how to care for the dying. Many of your veteran patients bring an extra layer with them: the years they spent in uniform, and everything that came home with them. Old memories that come back louder at night. Pain they won't admit to. Exposures that may have caused the illness in front of you. Benefits with deadlines the family has never heard of.
A nurse who asks the right question, an aide who explains before touching, or a social worker who catches a claim before it's lost can change how a veteran dies and how a family grieves. The Honor and Comfort set gives your whole team the tools to do that, free.
Designed to complement We Honor Veterans. Honor and Comfort is our own independent set. We are not affiliated with We Honor Veterans, the National Alliance for Care at Home, or VA.
About We Honor Veterans in 2026: the program is now run by the National Alliance for Care at Home (its VA contract ended in 2024). Since April 2026, recognition is a benefit of Alliance membership, with new Bronze, Silver, and Gold levels replacing the old Levels 1 to 5, and it is open to all care-at-home providers. Its public education materials remain free. Check with the Alliance for current criteria; the program decides what counts toward recognition.
What's in the Set
For your team
- Honor and Comfort Staff Guide ↓ (92 pages): for every discipline. Asking "Did you ever serve?", the military history conversation, screening for trauma without causing harm, exposures, moral injury, MST, suicide risk and firearms, a bedside sorting guide for trauma, delirium, pain, or dying, trauma-informed personal care, TBI and dementia, the time-sensitive benefits list, where staff stop on benefits, and a ready-made 30-minute in-service with case studies and a knowledge check.
- Aide Pocket Cards ↓: four cut-out pocket cards, a fold-and-tape version, and a one-page bedside flowchart for CNAs, hospice aides, home health aides, and volunteers who give hands-on care.
- Bringing This Set to Your Agency ↓: a one-page overview for your director, with a 30-second pitch and answers to the questions leadership usually asks.
- Vet-to-Vet Visitor Pocket Guide ↓: four cut-out cards for veteran volunteers (before you visit, getting them talking, if memories get heavy, honoring and goodbyes), plus a page for volunteer coordinators.
- An Honoring Ceremony for a Veteran ↓: a free ceremony kit for teams that aren't part of We Honor Veterans, or as a supplement: planning checklist, a script for staff or chaplains, a family version, words for every branch, and a printable certificate. No pins needed.
For families
- Quick-Start ↓: a short day-one handout for the admission packet of every patient who served: this week's checklist, who to call, papers to find, and deadlines families miss.
- Honor and Comfort: A Family Guide When a Veteran Is in Hospice ↓ (169 pages; large print). Read about the family guide.
- Give This to Your Funeral Director ↓: a one-page fill-in for the death certificate, honors, and burial benefits. A natural fit for social work visits. Fillable version ↓
- Honor and Memory: a book for the veteran to tell their story and leave words for family, for legacy work with chaplains and volunteers.
- After a Veteran Dies: The First 30 Days ↓: a two-page handout for bereavement mailings: first calls, survivor benefits, and deadlines.
- Military Honors at the Service ↓: a guest page explaining the honors, plus funeral program wording.
- Someone I Love Served ↓: a keepsake activity book for children ages 5 to 11 in veteran families.
How It Fits Work You Already Do
- Staff orientation and in-service. The Staff Guide's 30-minute in-service, case studies, and knowledge check make a veterans session easy to run and document.
- Aide in-service hours. A veterans session using the Aide Pocket Cards may count toward your aides' yearly in-service hours, if your educator approves.
- Admission and social work. Put the Quick-Start in every veteran's admission packet, and bring the funeral director sheet to social work visits.
- Chaplains and volunteers. Honor and Memory gives legacy and life review work a ready-made place to start.
Free to Print and Share
Every piece is free, with no sign-up and no license. Print unaltered copies in any quantity for the patients, families, and staff you serve. Benefit numbers, forms, and deadlines were checked against VA.gov, the National Cemetery Administration, the National Archives, CMS, and federal law in October 2026. The set has not had a formal clinical review, so follow your own policies and clinical judgment.
Would you like your hospice's name and contacts added? We can make a personalized version. Send us a request.
More for Hospice Teams
- We Honor Veterans (National Alliance for Care at Home)
- For Hospice & Care Teams: all our free resources
- The Hospice Staff Library
Please note: Honor and Comfort shares general information and training material. It is not medical, legal, or benefits advice and does not replace your agency's policies, VA, or an accredited Veterans Service Officer. Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988, then press 1; text 838255; or chat at VeteransCrisisLine.net. In an emergency, call 911.
Thank you for the care you give to those who served. — C. Lindorfer, Noted & Charmed