Financial Assistance for Veterans
Your father is a veteran. Maybe he never fought in combat, but he served during World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War or the Gulf War and is having difficulty maintaining his own basic care right now. He says he doesn’t think he qualifies for any financial assistance for veterans.
At the moment, you’ve been helping him as best you can. However, you have a full-time job and other responsibilities; you simply can’t be there as often as he needs.
Since you’re pretty sure his doctor would confirm that he needs assistance at home, you might want to look into a Pension from the Department of Veterans Affairs with and increased amount for Aid and Attendance. It’s a little known program that provides financial assistance for veterans. If your father is a wartime veteran, here are six reasons why he should look into it.
Reason #1: He needs help to age in place.
Your father needs assistance. He needs support. You can’t be there for him every day, even though you’d like to, so what is he going to do in the meantime?
He may not have enough money at the end of every month to pay for a home care aide and you certainly might not be in the position financially to pay for it, either. If he would qualify for it, the Aid and Attendance benefit could pay for that type of support to allow him to remain home, where he’s most comfortable.
Reason #2: He might qualify for financial assistance.
This is the best reason to look into the Aid and Attendance pension when the need for home care support arises. Many veterans and surviving spouses of veterans do not realize that they qualify. Based on the last available study of the VA Pension Program in 2004, only an estimated 27 percent of eligible veterans and 14 percent of eligible spouses received pension benefits in 2001. The Pension Program is available to veterans who never saw combat or who were never injured or disabled during their time of service.
Reason #3: He can’t afford home care.
When your father is on a limited income and he can’t afford to hire a home care aide on his own, wouldn’t it be great if there was financial assistance for veterans that he could tap into? That’s what the Aid and Attendance benefit is.
The VA pension is supplemental income payable to low-income, wartime veterans or their survivors. If the veteran or surviving spouse need the aid and attendance of another person to live safely, an increased monthly pension amount called Aid and Attendance is paid.
Reason #4: He’s concerned about his safety.
If your father has expressed some concerns about his safety, a home care aide, adult day care or a personal-security alert device can be great assets. This assistance can help keep him safe and also help to improve his quality of life. For example most home care aides help with: transportation, bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medication reminders, and more. The Aid and Attendance benefit is a great source of financial assistance for home care and other services.
Reason #5: Claiming VA benefits is not accepting charity.
Our veterans are very proud and some mistake a pension from the VA as charity. While the veteran and survivor pension is a needs-based program, it is a VA benefit earned only through wartime military service to our country.
Reason #6: Veterans Home Care has the VetAssist Program to help with the VA Aid & Attendance paperwork and more.
If your father needs help at home, he probably needs help with the paperwork involved in filing a VA claim. There are Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs) such as the: American Legion. American Veterans. Disabled American Veterans. Paralyzed Veterans of America and Veterans of Foreign Wars that offer free assistance. However, for the Aid and Attendance benefit, they don’t offer all of the services of the VetAssist Program from Veterans Home Care. Veterans Home Care is the industry leader with 14 years of unparalleled expertise.
For more information and to learn about The VetAssist Program, with no-out-of pocket costs, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
