VA Website “Misleading” About Veterans Long-Term Care Benefits

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We’ve been writing about Aid and Attendance for a few years. It was a little-known veterans benefit when we started talking about it, and it remains little-known today, reports The New Old Age .

Offering up to $2,019 a month for veterans and $1,094 for widows, the pension can be of significant help to vets who need long-term care, so its low profile is frustrating. Even many people in the VA don’t know about it, the blog reports. And if you do find out about it, the requirements can be confusing:

If you know the program’s name and search the Veterans Affairs Web site for Aid and Attendance, the first page states, among other things, that you are not eligible for A&A unless you already qualify for a basic Veterans Affairs pension — for which you have to be “totally disabled.”

That’s more than a little misleading.

“What people don’t know is that when wartime veterans turn 65, the V.A. automatically classifies them as ‘totally disabled,’ ” [Debbie Burak, founder of VeteranAid.org] said. And if they meet income and asset criteria, they are eligible for a basic pension.

If Aid and Attendance sounds like a benefit you or your parents might qualify for, be sure to read the New Old Age post. It includes a wealth of helpful information. For example: Qualifications include serving one day during a time of war. They do not include having a service-related injury.

If you have any questions about Aid and Attendance or other ways to pay for in-home care, please feel welcome to contact us at Preferred Care at Home. We’re happy to answer your questions and help you come up with a plan.