Background: Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of preventable hospitalization and death in the VA and many patients fall short of self-care goals. Numerous efficacy trials have shown that HF care management supported by health information technology (i.e., HITCM) can improve patients' outcomes, although VA care managers in 'real-world' health systems are often overwhelmed by the need to provide monitoring and behavior change services. Informal caregivers may help to fill the gaps in VA care management and enhance support for patients' treatment adherence, behavior changes, and symptom monitoring. The challenge will be to identify ways to leverage assistance from informal caregivers (ICGs) who lack the resources to fill this role effectively.