A VA Aid & Attendance and Housebound monthly pension may be awarded if you meet one of the following conditions:
• You require the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living.
• You are bedridden.
• You are a patient in a nursing home.
• Your eyesight is severely limited.
• You are homebound because of a permanent disability.
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
For more information: benefits.va.gov/pension/aid_attendance_housebound.asp
Despite the recent barrage of bad news surrounding the Department of Veterans Affairs, here’s a bit of good news as it relates to aging veterans.
If you served in the U.S. military during a foreign war, Uncle Sam has money available to help pay for living expenses if you need ongoing daily care.
The VA Aide & Attendance and Housebound benefits may be added to the pensions of eligible war veterans or their surviving spouse, and can net as much as $2,085 a month for the veteran, or half that amount for the spouse.
To receive the benefits, veterans need to have served during any of the war years of WWII, Korea, Vietnam or the Persian Gulf. Official dates do matter to the VA; however, having combat experience is not required.
“They could have been at Fort Benning peeling potatoes the whole time, but, if they served while the war was going on, they qualify,” said David Allred, director of financial planning for Assisted Choice, a free advocacy service for senior living and care. He is also a certified VA claims agent.
It is Allred’s job to help clients find ways to pay for necessary elder care. Usually, he is working with adult children who are making decisions for an aging parent. And, more than likely, the family is in crisis, needing to make immediate alternative living arrangements or bring in daily help.
Most veterans have never heard about this particular VA pension, which is different from VA disability benefits. There’s also a lot of misinformation about the program, Allred said.
Here are some facts you need to know:
• The money can be used to help with expenses for assisted living, personal care residential homes or a nursing home.
• For home health, the senior veteran must need ongoing help with activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, etc.
• Sometimes veterans are denied the benefits and believe it is because they make too much money. However, Allred said this pension is not based on financial need, but rather proof of needing “ongoing or reoccurring” care. The VA will not pay for a one-time or temporary care situation. For those previously denied, Allred recommended meeting with a certified VA claims agent to reapply.
• Like most government applications, the paperwork and documentation requirements can be overwhelming. VA claims agents can take you through the application process, step by step. This should always be a free service. You should never be charged a fee or be obligated to purchase anything, Allred stressed.
• You can get the paperwork from the VA and fill it out yourself, but it isn’t advisable. “I do know one woman who applied on her own and was able to get the benefits. It took her three years, but she got it done,” Allred said.
• Finally, be prepared to wait. It can take from two to three months to begin receiving benefits after all the paperwork and documents are turned in. If there are problems with the application, the wait could be even longer.
For seniors needing immediate care, such a wait can be unsettling.
“For some, this money can help offset the cost of living, but for others it’s the only income they’ll have,” Allred said. “It’s a make or break for sure.”
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