Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension – Helping Your Veteran Loved One Get Their Documents in Order Can Save Time
For veterans of all ages, there are a number of programs that provide assistance, especially to those require some type of home care. One of these pension programs is called the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit.
This pension program is available to veterans of any age with 90 days of active duty served, 1 day beginning or ending during a period of War. To qualify medically, a war-time veteran or surviving spouse must require the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting yourself from the hazards of your daily environment. Being bedridden or having eyesight limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less, would also qualify. (Source)
The sooner an elderly veteran fills out the Aid and Attendance application, the sooner he will be able to start receiving monetary assistance to pay for home care.
The application will require a significant amount of information, including the basics such as name, address, Social Security number, service dates, and a host of other information. Keeping track of all of this requires organization.
A family member or friend might be able to help them get all of the information necessary to fill out this application as soon as possible. If they don’t remember their service records, important numbers, names, or other information, now is the time to begin going through old files and boxes and gathering it all together. Don’t count on the Veterans Administration to be able to look up that information for you. Being understaffed and overwhelmed with applications, it could take weeks or months to hear back from anybody, if at all.
Gather what is needed in one place, schedule a time to sit down with the elderly veteran and fill out the application. The more organized a person is, the easier it will be to complete the application and submit it, thus getting the support they need in a timely manner.
For more information and to learn about Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension , contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
