Caregivers for Aging Veterans: The Aid and Attendance Benefit Is a Great Asset for Some Veterans in Need of Home Care Services
When veterans are advised to consider home care support services, some may think it’s not possible. They may assume it’s too expensive, that they don’t really need help, or that their family and friends will be enough support. In reality, nothing is better than an experienced home care aide to provide support for somebody who has difficulty with their mobility, is dealing with health issues, or is recovering following a hospitalization.
For veterans who may be limited in their income and don’t have many assets, it may seem like a pipe dream to even consider home care. They assume it’s just too expensive for them, so they never look into it further. The Aid and Attendance Benefit is a pension program specifically designed to provide financial assistance for veterans who qualify.
Time of service is important.
In order to qualify, a veteran needs to have served a minimum of 90 days active duty in one of the major branches of the United States military. That’s not the whole deal, though.
At least one day of service needs to have overlapped a time of official combat. This official combat is defined by Congress and is basically World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. However, if a veteran served any time during the Gulf War, even if it was overlapping that first day in 1990, they would need to have served at least two years active duty.
A word about active combat.
When some veterans see the term ‘active combat,’ they assume it means being involved in a direct, forward combat situation. That’s not the case when it comes to the Aid and Attendance Benefit.
Active combat in this situation refers to a time in which the United States was actively engaged in combat somewhere around the world. A veteran could have served on an aircraft carrier 10,000 miles away from any combat and would still qualify because their time of service overlapped official combat.
The veteran needs to be able to prove home care is necessary.
If a veteran can prove that home care support is needed at this point in his or her life, either for safety or for assistance with basic daily living tasks, that is required when filling out the application.
Any veteran who might be considering this pension to pay for home care is advised to fill it out as soon as possible because it can take many months for the approval process.
