Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit
If a veteran reaches a point in his or her life when they have difficulty taking care of themselves, either due to injuries sustained in an accident, a disability, or even the result of the natural process of aging, they may turn to family members and friends for help, at least initially. Over time, though, they begin to realize just how challenging it is for that family member or friend, so then they may begin thinking about home care support services.
Here are three questions some veterans might ask when they reach a point of realization regarding home care services.
Potential Question #1: Can I afford it?
This is a common question among many people, elderly and otherwise. If they aren’t quite sure whether they can afford this type of service, they may not look into it any further. If they don’t look into home care options beyond just a passing thought, they may not realize how affordable it can be.
A home care aide can be hired for just two hours once a week to start. That is certainly affordable for most people. For some qualifying wartime veterans, though, the Aid and Attendance Benefit might help.
That leads us to this next question…
Potential Question #2: Are there any pensions that can help?
Yes, as mentioned, there is one particular pension known as the Aid and Attendance Benefit. There’s also the Homebound pension program and both of these may help qualifying veterans pay for home care support services.
For the Aid and Attendance Benefit, veterans need to have served at least one day of active duty during a time of official combat. That basically refers to World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. If they served any time during the Gulf War, their minimum time service has to be two years, otherwise it’s 90 days. They also need to be honorably discharged from service, have limited income and assets, and have a specific, documentable need for home care support.
Potential Question #3: Can I rely on family?
A lot of veterans think their family members or friends would be a better support. It may seem more comfortable at first, but nothing is going to be better than experienced caregivers. Home care aides who work for agencies provide the best support because they have worked with numerous other elderly and disabled clients, whether they are recovering from a major medical crises, surgery, or coping with the new reality of having limited mobility.
