Highlighting Veterans Benefits

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Sechler Law Firm, LLC

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Posted on

Jan 11, 2024

Book/Edition

Pennsylvania - Greater Pittsburgh Area

To recognize your service as a Veteran, here is some education to highlight the benefits that veterans may get. Essentially there are two Veteran’s Administrations – there is the Veterans Health Administration, and the Veterans Benefits Administration. 

The Veterans Benefits Administration 

The Veterans Benefits Administration deals with retiree pensions, service connected disability benefits and improved pension. You could expect to receive a financial reimbursement from the Veteran’s Benefits Administration. The idea behind the VA improved pension is based on wanting to prevent our wartime veterans from going broke after their services, due to long term care needs.

The eligibility requirements for the improved pension is based on the different tiers of care offered. There’s a traditional improved pension and there is what’s known as Housebound benefits. In addition there is the Aid and Attendance program catering for those with an increased need for care, when we want to keep people in their home with privately paid caregivers. With this level of care, there are often out of pocket medical expenses, but there is a program which compensates people on a monetary basis for these expenses. Veterans can get between $2,000 and $3,000 in reimbursements to help them.

Improved Pension Benefits

There is also a benefit for the widow of a veteran who has unreimbursed medical expenses which includes a personal care home. The Eligibility requirest the deceased spouse to have been a wartime veteran. He didn’t need to serve in the war, but was required to have served 90 days of continuous active duty. One of those days had to have been during a period of war. The veteran would have also needed to be disabled within the VA definition of disability, requiring some form of care. To find out more about the improved pension and the Aid and Attendance program, there are veteran service organizations that will help you with these applications. The social workers at the VA’s will point you in the right direction.

The Veterans Health Administration 

The Veterans Health Administration provides access for veterans to receive healthcare in clinics and hospitals. Most veterans are eligible for some level of care and there are different eligibility criteria, depending on how long you served for, or if you were disabled. It is a complicated system and the information on the VA website is vague. I believe it is my duty to provide some helpful information for veterans who may need some form of long term care, either now or in the future.

If you are eligible for VA health care coverage, you have to go to a VA and apply for benefits. This involves an analysis for your eligibility to receive healthcare. In addition to the clinics and hospitals, within the VA system there are VA nursing home beds, should you need long term care. There are also privately contracted nursing home beds in private nursing homes which the VA helps pay for. In addition, there are VA in-home health benefits to get a helper to provide care at home. 

Don’t Rely Only On Federal VA Benefits

Unfortunately there are often waiting lists for veterans waiting for nursing home beds. As a result, many veterans end up in private nursing homes paying privately, just like everybody else. Sadly there are many veterans requiring long term care but it is not being provided through the VA because of limited resources. This is why I encourage Veterans to not rely solely on the federal VA for their health care.

The state of Pennsylvania has a department of Military and Veterans Affairs, offering some good programs for veterans. There are six nursing homes within the state which service veterans in Allegheny County. It is called the Southwest Veterans Centre in Pittsburgh, and has both a memory care unit and skilled nursing facility. Some of the other centres in Erie County, Blair County, Lackawanna and Philadelphia offer personal care services. You would need to apply for eligibility, and prove your veteran status. I know that Pennsylvania residents are given priority, so I’m not sure how many out of state people are served. 

Their website states that a resident at a veteran’s home must make monthly payments against maintenance fee liability in accordance with the resident’s ability to pay. However, this is vague, so if you are helping a veteran, or you are a veteran in need of some long term care, visit their website here. There’s an application online providing the information you need to apply for the long term care benefits.

Why You Should Consider Medicaid Benefits

While Veterans should not rely solely on VA for their healthcare, I will add that Veterans shouldn’t rely too much on Medicare either. This is because Medicare only pays for acute care, and not long term care. Often, veterans end up in civilian long term care settings and they need to apply for Medicaid benefits. It is therefore important to understand the Medicaid rules, if VA benefits don’t provide the care that Veterans need. Medicaid is the other payment source for long term care, so being eligible for Medicaid benefits is important. Often, a senior is only eligible for Medicaid benefits when they are broke, after paying for long term care. However, we can avoid that by using an asset protection trust to protect your house and money.

How We Can Help You

To learn more, come to one of our upcoming free estate planning workshops. Register for one of our Three Secrets Workshops by calling us at 724-364-6615. We’ll teach you about Medicare, Medicaid, trusts, wills and what you need to do to set yourself up for success. See you there!

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Local Services By This Author

Sechler Law Firm, LLC

Elder Law 20206 State Rte 19 Ste 300, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania, 16066

At Sechler Law Firm, LLC, our mission is to help families make great plans. A great estate plan is more than just a set of documents. It is a comprehensive and well thought out written strategy on how to deal with lifes unfortunate twists and turns. Our process first provides you with the education necessary to make informed decisions with regard to your planning. Then we put the proper documents and legal framework in place to respond to lifes unfortunate changes.Our Estate Planning law office is headquartered in Cranberry, PA. From this office, we happily serve the residents of Cranberry, Mars, Wexford, Pittsburgh, Butler and the residents of surrounding communities. As one of the regions only Certified Elder Law Attorneys, Tim Sechler and his team often assist families from across Western Pennsylvania.We understand that the pursuit of health, wealth and happiness is the goal of most families. We want you to be able to pursue these goals, or whatever goals you may have, knowing that you have a back up plan if life throws you a curveball like a death, disability or nursing home need. With education as our foundation, we will work with you to make decisions to Shield What Matters Most to you.Practice AreasEstate PlanningCustomized planning doesnt have to be difficult for you. We strive to make the process easy. The first step is to identify your concerns so that we can make suggestions regarding your plan.Elder Law Crisis PlanningA significant percentage of our practice is dedicated to helping families navigate the long term care maze. We help with Asset Protection and eligibility for Medicaid and Veterans Benefits.Trust And Estate AdministrationIf you have lost a loved one, we can help you take the necessary steps to help handle their affairs.Tims estate planning practice is focused on guiding clients through the complicated maze of balancing transfer strategies, wealth preservation, and family values in the planning process.Tim is a Combat Veteran, having served in Afghanistan as a member of the West Virginia Air National Guard. Prior to leaving the military, Tim had attained the rank of Staff Sergeant. His experiences in the military have led him to thoroughly enjoy working with Veterans and their families.Tim received his law degree from Duquesne University School of Law, and his Master of Business Administration from the Duquesne University Donahue Graduate School of Business. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from West Virginia University, majoring in Finance. Tim is licensed to practice Law in Pennsylvania and West Virginia.Recently, Tim has been seen frequently as a guest on KDKAs Pittsburgh Today Live, and has been quoted in several local print publications. For the last several years, he has been honored to be chosen as a Super Lawyers Rising Star, an award given to less than 2.5% of Tims peers. Tim enjoys educating the public about Elder Law and Estate Planning. He has spoken to thousands of people regarding estate planning and has averaged more than 50 speaking events per year.Tim became a Certified Elder Law Attorney* in 2017. A CELA is more than just an attorney who specializes in the field of elder law. CELAs are committed, through certification, to maintaining and improving their proficiency with continual practice and continuing legal education. Becoming certified in elder law validates a lawyers specialty to handle issues that affect senior citizens.Tim and his wife, Robyn, are raising three beautiful children in their home in Mars, PA.*Certified as an Elder Law Attorney by the National Elder Law Foundation.