Elder Veterans may be eligible for a wide-variety of benefits available to all U.S. military Veterans. VA benefits include disability compensation, pension, education and training, health care, home loans, insurance, vocational rehabilitation and employment, and burial.
In their aging years, Veteran’s Aid and Assistance can be of a great financial assistance to seniors bringing about a higher quality of life through the aging years. The individual applying must qualify both medically and financially.
Services
Two VA programs provide a specific group of Veterans with an additional monetary amount if eligible for a VA Pension benefit.
1. Aid and Attendance (A&A) is an increased monthly pension amount paid if you meet one of the conditions below:
- Need help performing daily functions, which may include bathing, eating or dressing.
- You are bedridden.
- You are a patient in a nursing home.
- Your eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
2. Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount paid if you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability.
Specialization
The process to qualify can be laborious and a challenging one. In many cases it is a time consuming ordeal to complete the proper paperwork. Therefore it is advisable to seek out an Attorney or Veterans’ Benefits planning advisor who specializes in the qualification process. If a senior has exhausted their assets, they are authorized to receive a Medicaid supplemental benefit to offset their Social Security Benefits that finance care in their final years.
Preparation
- Your parent may be eligible to receive Aid & Assistance if the following criteria is met:
- Any War-Time Veteran with 90 days of active duty
- 1 day beginning or ending during a period of War Improved Pension
- A surviving spouse (marriage must have ended due to death of veteran) of a War-Time Veteran may be eligible
- To qualify medically, a War-Time Veteran or surviving spouse must:
- Need the assistance of another person to perform daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, undressing, taking care of the needs of nature, etc. or
- Be blind or in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity also qualifies
- To qualify for Medicaid, it varies from State to State but overall you must have less than $3,000 left in assets.
- You must be Durable Power of Attorney to act on their behalf to qualify them for benefits programs.
Evaluation
If seeking out an attorney to assist in the application for Aid and Assistance or Medicaid there are several questions you should ask:
- What is your process qualifying seniors for benefits programs? How do you work?
- Do you charge a flat fee for the paperwork process or do you bill hourly?
- Do you use paralegals to complete paperwork, or do you do it yourself?
- What are your credentials and/or experience in Medicaid Planning or Veteran’s Benefits?
- Do you charge for travel time, and outside hours such as research?
