VA Aid and Attendance Benefit and How It Can Help Pay for Senior Living
Assured Senior Living
Sep 28, 2022
Colorado - Denver Metro
For many families worried about whether they can afford the
cost of senior living, the Veterans Aid & Attendance benefit can offer
great peace of mind.
Though it’s been around since the 1950s, many Americans are
not familiar with this important VA benefit for senior living. In fact, more
than one-third of Americans over 65 are either wartime Veterans or are married
to one, which means they may qualify for benefits that can help offset the cost
of senior care. Yet less than 10 percent of those who qualify have even applied
for Veterans Aid & Attendance, which provides a non-service-connected
pension to assist in paying for long-term care for wartime Veterans or a
surviving spouse with limited income.
Eligibility for This Important VA Benefit for Senior
Living
You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA
pension, and you meet at least one of these requirements:
You need another person to help you perform daily
activities, like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or
You have to stay in bed—or spend a large portion of the day
in bed—because of illness, or
You are a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of
mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or
Your eyesight is limited (even with glasses or contact
lenses you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of
the visual field to 5 degrees or less)
Housebound benefits eligibility:
You may be eligible for this VA benefit for senior living if
you get a VA pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a
permanent disability (a disability that doesn’t go away).
How Aid & Attendance Benefits Your Senior Living
Budget
Quite simply, with Aid & Attendance you have increased
buying power which:
Opens up more options when it comes to choosing the senior
living community that fits your needs best.
Gives you peace of mind in being able to stay in the
community longer than your budget otherwise may have allowed.
What’s more, this
VA benefit for senior living is tax-free and paid directly to you by the
Treasury Department.
Watch out for myths—learn the truth about this VA benefit
for senior living.
There are many misconceptions that can cause Veterans or
their surviving spouses to miss out on the full benefits they are entitled to,
or to not even attempt the application process at all. At Assured Senior
Living, we want you to have the facts. Here are a few common myths you should
know about.
Myth: To qualify for this VA benefit for senior living,
you must have served in a combat zone.
Truth: To qualify, the Veteran must have served during an eligible wartime period. Except for the Vietnam wartime period of February 28, 1961 to August 4, 1964, there is no requirement that the Veteran must have served in a combat zone. The service criteria are 90 days of active duty, with at least 1 day during an eligible wartime period and the Veteran was other than dishonorably discharged. Or, your spouse at the time of their death met these criteria.
Myth: You can’t receive a partial benefit for Aid &
Attendance.
Truth: Aid & Attendance is not all or nothing, you can
get a partial benefit. For example, if your income minus home care and facility
costs leaves you with a positive number or “Income for VA Purposes,” but one
less than the Maximum Pension Benefit, you can receive the approximate
difference between the Maximum Pension and the calculated Income for VA
Purposes.
Myth: A spouse can only receive Aid & Attendance if
the Veteran has passed away.
Truth: If a Veteran is still married and his or her spouse
needs care, they are considered a dependent spouse. A married Veteran can be
awarded a Basic Pension if he or she has a dependent spouse as long as
eligibility requirements are met.
To Apply for the Aid & Attendance Benefit:
• Send a completed VA form (https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/VBA-21-2680-ARE.pdf)
to the Pension Management Center (PMC) that serves your state. Find your PMC at
https://www.va.gov/pension/pension-management-centers/.
• File a claim online
(https://www.va.gov/pension/application/527EZ/introduction)
• Apply in person at a VA office
(https://www.va.gov/find-locations/?facilityType=benefits) near you.
Why You Might Want the Assistance of VA Accredited Agent
Keep in mind that it’s not just the length of the
application for this VA benefit for senior living that makes the process
complex, it’s also all understanding all the nuances. An expert who knows all
the rules and regulations, as well as how the VA works can not only help make
the process much easier, but also make sure you get the benefits you deserve to
pay towards senior living costs.
And while the VA may tell you to expect it to take 12 to 18
months for your application to be approved, a VA accredited agent can typically
help reduce that time significantly.
At Assured Senior Living, we want everyone who needs care to
have the opportunity to thrive physically, intellectually and socially.
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Understanding the VA Loan: How Many Times Can You Use It?
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Tips for Staying Safe and Preventing Fraud in the Age of AI
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