Veterans Home Care St. Louis
For the first several months that Stephen was discharged and sent home from the hospital following his ‘relatively mild’ stroke, his youngest son was helping him out. His son was the closest living relative he had who was able to get over and help him with various things, including getting out of bed and getting dressed in the morning.
It was an uncomfortable situation for both of them, but at the time neither of them believed they had other options. Stephen was on a limited income. He was basically living on a pension that was all but consumed by rent, food, some medical expenses, utilities, and a few other bills that had to be paid every single month. He didn’t have money to afford a home care aide or any other type of support.
His son was working two jobs just to make ends meet. He didn’t have much to begin with, but he did whatever he could to support his father. When they both learned about the Aid and Attendance Benefit through the VA, they started looking into it to see if Stephen might qualify.
Because of his time of service, having served four years in the Army, half of which was during the Vietnam War, and because his doctor had already recommended he rely on home care support, Stephen learned that he very well might qualify for this particular pension.
It was an incredible relief to think in a short time -once he submitted the application- he would be able to get a home care aide working with him daily. The VA was going to be able to pay more than $2,000 a month for home care support. So, with the help of his son, Stephen filled out the application as accurately as he could.
He had always been meticulous when it came to filling out applications and submitting other legal documents. He had no issue filling out this application, either.
They submitted the application in January and his son continued helping him out while he waited and waited and waited. By the time September had rolled around, Stephen wasn’t doing well. His son was just not able to devote the kind of time to caring for him that he needed. When the letter arrived indicating he had been approved for this pension, it felt almost too little, too late.
They hired home care services and it made a significant difference in his life, but they simply weren’t aware of how long it might take for the application to be processed and approved. Anyone who might consider applying for the Aid and Attendance Benefit is encouraged to fill it out as soon as they realize home care support is needed.
For more information and to learn about veterans aid and attendance, contact Veteran’s Home Care at (888) 314-6075.
