Did you know that there are over 23.7 million veterans living in the United States? While this number can seem staggering, what’s even more incredible is that many of them are approaching retirement age. There are also a high number of veterans who are disabled in some way. That means that there are many veterans across the country that, when they reach retirement age, are going to require more care in the later years of their life.
There are a number of options available for assisted living for veterans, but sometimes you need to know where to look in order to find them. The most commonly thought of option is at nursing homes or even Veterans Administration (VA) hospitals and clinics. While the VA can provide some support to senior veterans, they don’t offer the best option for end of life care for them.
Most veterans prefer to remain in the comfort of their own home, though that may not be an option for every one of them. In reality, veteran care can be a complicated process because of the forms and applications that need to be filled out and the various programs that exist already for veterans.
However, there are a number of programs that can help provide assisted living for veterans and still allow them to remain in the comfort of their own home. The main one is known as the Aid and Attendance benefit. This is a program that is not eligible to all veterans, but for those who qualify, it can provide in-home care to these veterans so that they can remain in the comfort of their home and still be safe and secure.
The Aid and Attendance benefit is available to any United States military veteran who served at least 90 days in active duty with at least one (1) day serving in an active combat zone. In other words, in order to qualify, the senior veteran would have needed to have been in a war zone, more specifically a combat zone for at least one day.
What is also interesting to note is that the spouse of the veteran who qualifies for the Aid and Attendance benefit can also receive assistance to live at home.
There are also a number of facilities that provide assisted living for veterans, if the individual’s health or condition does not make it feasible or reasonable to remain living in his or her home. Veterans served this country and they deserve a little extra help when they need it most, during their Golden Years.
For more information on the VA Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit that helps senior veterans pay for in-home care services, or if you have a general question about VA Home Care, please don’t hesitate to call Veterans Home Care at 888-314-6075
