Wouldn’t it be great if every veteran qualified for pensions that could be extremely beneficial for them? After all, these men and women have sacrificed their time and put themselves in harm’s way in the name of freedom. However, not every veteran is going to qualify for all pensions.
One such pension is known as the Aid and Attendance Benefit.
This is a pension that can provide financial support to qualifying veterans and their dependents, including widows of qualifying veterans, to rely on home care support. Veterans who qualify for this need to be considered ‘wartime veterans’ and they have to have a specific and documentable need for home care assistance.
Is that all?
No. To be more specific, in order to qualify, veterans need to have served at least 90 days active duty in one of the major branches of the United States military. At least one day of service needs to have fallen during a time of official combat, as defined by Congress. In short, this would include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. If a veteran served any time during the Gulf War, they need to have served a minimum of two years, not 90 days.
How can a veteran prove home care is necessary?
There are several ways they can do that. They can explain the challenges they’re facing at the moment, being as specific as possible, or they can submit a letter of recommendation from their doctor, if he or she has stipulated the need for home care at this point in their life.
What about finances?
Even if a veteran served during the Korean War and can prove that home care is necessary, but does not meet the income and asset threshold limit, such as exceeding it, they may not qualify for this pension. Currently, combined income and assets cannot exceed $119,000 for qualifying veterans.
If the veteran is seeking financial support for home care services for themselves, for their dependents, or a widow of a qualifying veterans is looking for it, the financial assistance they receive will vary depending on many factors.
Just because not every veteran is going to qualify for this or some other pension, that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t learn about it. When veterans can share information with their peers, that might be the only way those peers hear about something like the Aid and Attendance Benefit, so helping them can be extremely beneficial.
Our VetAssist® Program can help you apply for the VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit and access the home care you need. For more information and to learn about The VetAssist Program, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
