Not every veteran's caregiver is tending a battlefield wound. Some of us are losing a parent slowly, to a disease that arrived long after service ended.

My father, Miles, served in the U.S. Army in air defense in the early 1960s. He now lives with Lewy body dementia, a progressive disease that reshapes memory, mobility and daily life. As his caregiver, I keep his dignity at the center of his care.

This month I joined nearly 70 caregivers in Washington as a Caregiver Fellow with the Elizabeth Dole Foundation. Representing North Carolina in the 2026 class is among the proudest honors of my life. I met with our congressional delegation's offices to share what caregiving asks of a family.

A 2024 RAND study counts 14.3 million caregivers nationwide, many of them caring for veterans of earlier eras. While we were on Capitol Hill, the House passed the Sharri Briley and Eric Edmundson Veterans Benefits Expansion Act, raising benefits for more than 500,000 catastrophically injured veterans and survivors.

Two bills still need support: the CHAMPVA Children's Care Protection Act, which keeps veterans' children covered to age 26, and the Veteran Caregiver Re-education, Re-employment, and Retirement Act, which recognizes that caregivers set their own careers aside - and the certifications, retirement savings and earning years that come with them - to look after a veteran at home.

My father gave his early years to this country. Caring for him now is my honor, and North Carolina's leaders can help carry it.

Jenna Bryant

Durham

2026 Elizabeth Dole Foundation Caregiver Fellow

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