Veterans
Benefits
 Veterans
Benefits may be the most misunderstood and under
utilized resources available to Seniors today.
Most people are aware that Benefits are available
through the Veterans Administration for the brave
men and women who served in our armed forces. Yet,
too few veterans (and their spouses) realize that
they could be eligible to receive large monthly
checks even if they did not directly retire from
the military or get injured in the line of duty.
Perhaps, the problem lies in the name of the
program: Veterans Pension. Most people hear the
word "pension" and think of a long
work career that ends in retirement. Yet, wrapped within the VA Pension system is the Aid and Attendance
Benefit.
A veteran or a widowed spouse of a veteran who
is eligible for the Pension and Aid and Attendance
program could receive the following monetary
benefits:
2010 Maximum Pension Rates
for Aid and Attendance |
| Single Veteran |
$1,644.00 Per Month |
$19,736.00 Per Year |
| Married Veteran |
$1,949.00 Per Month |
$23,396.00 Per Year |
| Widowed Spouse |
$1,056.00 Per Month |
$12,681.00 Per Year |
Veteran Married
to Veteran |
$2,540.00 Per Month |
$30,480.00 Per Year |
What Are the Eligibility Requirements?
- The Requirements to receive some form of
Aid and Attendance are not as stringent as
one might
think. A Veteran, Widowed Spouse, or Disabled
Adult Child can be a claimant.
- Veteran Must have Served at Least Ninety
Consecutive Days on Active duty; one day of
which had to
have been during a War Time Period. (This
does not mean the Veteran had to have served
directly in a combat zone. It simply means
he or
she served during a time of war.)
- Veteran must have had an "Other than
Dishonorable Discharge"
- Claimant's Physician Must Declare Him/Her
as Housebound and in Need of Assistance
from Another Individual. That individual may
include
Home Health Care Helper, Assisted Living,
or Nursing Home Care
- Claimant must have less than $80,000 in
assets. This figure does not include the home,
car or
personal belongings (Certain planning techniques
can be employed to drop a Veteran below
this resource cap.)
- Claimant must meet income requirements
- Widowed Spouse must have been Married to
the Veteran at the time of the Veterans Death
or have had children by the Veteran and
never
remarried (Minor or Disabled Children may
qualify for Benefits on their own)
- Widowed Spouse must have been living with
the Veteran at the time of the Veteran's
death, unless the separation was due to medical
or military
reasons (there may be some exceptions related
to separations due to abuse)
Though some Veterans may look at this list and
question their eligibility, particularly due to
the income and resource limits, various planning
techniques can be employed to bring the individual
under the financial caps set forth by the VA.
Additional Benefits
Once Awarded Aid and Attendance, a Veteran may
obtain free medications, medial equipment, incontinence
supplies, glasses, and hearing aides from the VA.
The Veteran can also often get these health care
supplies by U.S. Mail, and does not have drive
to a VA hospital or clinic.
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