The Veteran’s Administration, more commonly referred to as the VA, has received a lot of bad press in recent years. Most of it is well earned, and unfortunately that means veterans often don’t get the right level of care and support they deserve. When some veterans require home care support, they may have questions about how to pay for it.
There are some pensions available.
The Aid and Attendance Benefit and Homebound pensions might be able to provide financial assistance to qualifying veterans to pay for home care services. These pensions are slightly different, especially in that to qualify for the Homebound pension the veteran would need to be considered ‘homebound,’ or unable to live on his or her own without support.
A person who requires home care might still be able to survive without assistance, but they may not be able to do a number of Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) safely or even effectively without the support of another individual.
So how can veterans get answers to some important questions about these pensions?
They may contact the VA and speak to a representative, but not every VA representative will have knowledge about this and other pensions. A lot of veterans also complain that it can take weeks or even months for somebody to get back to them. That’s after they’ve already been calling once or twice a week for months.
Sometimes, reliable and legitimate nonprofit organizations can be a benefit.
There are numerous nonprofit organizations established all across the country to help veterans with a wide range of needs. Some of these organizations will likely have a great deal of information about various pensions, including the Aid and Attendance Benefit.
In order to qualify for the Aid in Attendance Benefit, the veteran needs to have served at least one day active duty during a time of official combat. If they served any time during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War, their minimum time of service needs to have been 90 days, but if they served any time during the Gulf War, it will be two years, at a minimum.
The veteran needs to be able to prove home care is necessary and also meet income and asset threshold limits. Currently, the income and asset threshold is set at $119,000, combined.
It can be confusing for some veterans trying to figure out whether they could get financial help to pay for home care support, and getting help through the VA might seem almost impossible, which is why they might want to turn to reliable organizations specifically set up to help veterans in their time of need.
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.
