Living in the shadow of his father’s military service was not easy. Brian constantly moved around as a child, from one place to the next. Wherever his father’s service took him, the entire family travel along. Brian never really knew a different life other than that, so it wasn’t like he was upset to have to make new friends constantly, but the one thing he did realize as he got older was just how close his mother and father were.
It could not have been easy for them.
As his parents aged, Brian wanted to be there for them. He wanted to help out whenever he could. Unfortunately, his own job started taking him away more and more frequently, especially as they got older. He worried about their safety.
When his mother first started requiring assistance, Brian’s father was the one to step up. Brian help whenever he could, but there really wasn’t much to do after work. Unfortunately, his father had a heart attack one afternoon and was hospitalized for over a week.
During that week, Brian took some vacation time to support his mother and get the house ready for when his father was discharged. As a United States veteran, Brian wasn’t sure if there was any type of pension program that could help his mother and father.
His father was considered a ‘wartime veteran.’ Not only did he serve a few months at the tail end of the Vietnam War, he also served during the first and second Gulf War. As a wartime veteran on a limited income through Social Security and his pension, his combined income and assets were less than $119,000.
He could qualify for the Aid and Attendance Benefit and since he could show that home care support would be absolutely necessary for him and his wife at this time, they could both receive financial assistance for these services.
While Brian was worried about the next step, his father had already done research on this and other pensions. He told Brian that if something were to happen to him, Brian’s mother, as a widow, will still qualify for financial assistance for home care support.
The Aid and Attendance Benefit can help veterans, their spouses, and their other dependents in the event home care is necessary. It can also help widows of qualifying veterans. This was a great relief for Brian to know.
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.
