Lily Hospice launches veteran advisory committee led by Navy SEAL veteran

Lily Hospice in Troy has launched what it calls a first-of-its-kind veteran advisory committee to improve end-of-life care for veterans and help families access benefits. The group is chaired by Navy SEAL veteran Evan Shelline and clinically led by former Navy Corpsman and RN Simone Luu.

Why it matters: - Military service can change what end-of-life care looks like, from service-related illness to late-life memories and veteran-to-veteran bonds. - Families often miss earned benefits such as burial in a national cemetery, a government headstone or marker, a burial flag and survivor benefits when no one asks about military service. - Lily Hospice is trying to build a care model that recognizes veterans earlier and connects families to resources before a death.

What happened: - Evan Shelline, a U.S. Navy SEAL veteran and founder and president of VETTED, chaired the first meeting of the Veteran Advisory Committee at Lily Hospice on Oct. 7, 2026. - Simone Luu, RN, a former Navy Hospital Corpsman who leads Lily Hospice’s Veteran Rapid Response program, serves as co-chair and clinical leader. - The committee advises Lily Hospice, a Medicare-certified hospice in Troy, on care for veterans and their families across Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. - Lily Hospice says the committee is the first hospice veteran advisory committee chaired by a Navy SEAL veteran with a former Navy Hospital Corpsman as the clinical leader.

The details: - Shelline served about a decade in the U.S. Navy, including about six years with the SEAL Teams. - Shelline founded VETTED in 2024 as a service-disabled veteran-owned small business in Troy that provides VA-authorized in-home care for veterans in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. - Luu is a registered nurse who cares for hospice patients and learned military medicine as a corpsman. - The committee includes veterans who served in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps. - The committee will meet every other month. - Its work includes reviewing how Lily Hospice asks about military service at the first visit so no veteran goes unrecognized. - The committee also advises the Veteran Rapid Response team. - Members will build ties with VFW and American Legion posts, county veterans service offices and the VA. - The committee will shape how veterans are honored while they are living, including pinning ceremonies. - The group also reviews the information families receive about veterans’ end-of-life benefits. - Shelline said, “It’s so important to honor and celebrate these veterans while they are still with us and not wait until after they’re gone.” - Luu said, “It is so important to provide informed care to our vets.”

Between the lines: - The committee links outside veteran-community experience with bedside clinical decision-making. - Shelline works with aging veterans and families through VETTED, including many Korean War and Vietnam veterans who have never talked about their service. - Lily Hospice is using veteran peer input to reduce missed identification, missed benefits and disconnected care at the end of life. - The model also reflects a broader shift toward treating veterans’ service history as part of clinical intake, not just a ceremonial detail.

What’s next: - The committee is expected to keep meeting every other month. - Lily Hospice is inviting VFW and American Legion posts, auxiliaries and county veterans service offices to request a no-cost visit about hospice and veterans’ end-of-life benefits. - The invitation includes a call to Lily Hospice at 248-955-5100. - More information about VETTED is available at the company’s website.

The bottom line: - Lily Hospice is formalizing veteran-specific input at the bedside, with the goal of improving care, recognition and benefits access for patients who served.