Care Such As:

Question 1

Aid & Attendance Pension Explained

Basic Pension / Improved Income – for healthy (and unhealthy) veterans over the age of 65 with low incomes
Aid & Attendance – for veterans over the age of 65 that require assistance with their activities of daily living
Housebound – for veterans with a disability rating of 100% that prevents them from leaving their home, but does not have to be related to their military service.

It is often said the Aid & Attendance Pension can be spent on anything, yet the VA literature states the VA can take back the Pension if it is misused or spent incorrectly. As noted, the VA calls all three levels, “The Aid & Attendance” Pension, which causes confusion. The first level, the Basic Pension is broken into two parts. Healthy and Unhealthy Veterans. Healthy Veterans over 65 can qualify for financial support that can be spent on anything if their income is low enough. It is a form of welfare financial support that does not require the VA Medical forms or a Doctor’s signature. Unhealthy Veterans 65 and older, can qualify for financial support as a reimbursement for Medical Expenses. The Unhealthy Basic Pension requires documentation, forms and a Doctor’s signature. (Veteran Caregivers offers a zero interest loan program to help all Veteran’s regardless of income and credit to get started for care now). This proves to the VA you are spending money on medical care, thus the VA provides the funds for you to pay off the loan. The second level of the Aid & Attendance Pension is for Veterans or Spouses over the age of 65 who require assistance with their activities of daily living that will allow them to remain in their home. The VA has a list of daily living activities and the medical expenses required to meet this category and the funds awarded for must be used for expenses related to these requirements. This level requires certain VA Medical applications, documents and a Doctors signature. As noted, the third level is for support of Housebound Veterans or that prevents them from leaving their home. This can be confusing since there are so many rules within the Aid & Attendance Pension that are not explained in a simple way. The professionals on the Veteran Caregivers team understand the legal aspects of the application process which helps to eliminate the miscommunication to the VA. This is VERY important because if you receive the Pension under accidental false pretense or if you use the benefits incorrectly, they can and will stop the benefit and make you repay the pension back in full. An example of what can happen if the funds received are not utilized for the intent that justified them during the application process. We had a Veteran who was not our client, but who came to us for help to correct a situation that occurred. The Veteran had cancer a few years previously, but after treatment, the cancer was in remission. He was now healthy and no longer needed the in-home care he had originally received under the Aid and Attendance Pension. At the time of his cancer, he was receiving $2,000 per month from the VA to pay for an attendant to assist him at home. The problem, he had cancelled his in-home care 18-months previous to when we met, but he was still receiving the Pension. A local VSO officer had told him he could spend that money for whatever he wanted. The confusion behind this Aid and Attendance Pension led to a major financial issue for this Veteran. The reason he was originally qualified to receive the pension is he was spending $2000 per month on medical care. Thus, the VA reimbursed him monthly with the maximum amount of the Pension. The moment he stopped paying for care, he was no longer eligible for that monthly Pension as a reimbursement, but no one had communicated that to him, so he went 18 months spending this money. Now, a part of his Social Security check is going to the VA to pay back for this mistake. To keep our clients from these pitfalls, our staff keeps in constant contact with the family and the Veteran to make sure any changes in the status of the Veteran or Spouse is updated and corrected as required by the VA. It’s not that the original application was done incorrectly, it’s that no one follows up with the Veteran to make sure the Pension is still applicable to the current situation. In most cases, the Veteran will receive a portion of the Aid and Attendance Pension to spend on anything desired and we make sure you have total control of this portion of the Pension since it’s deposited in your account. You may receive the Medical Portion of the Pension as well and we ensure this money is deposited into your Medical Account, to be used for Doctors, In Home Care, Assisted Living, Nursing Homes and other related medical expenses. As your income, assets, and medical condition changes over time, we will update your information to make sure you are getting the most out of this benefit while staying in compliance.

Answer

The Aid & Attendance Pension offered by the VA can be a bit confusing. It is one Pension that is broken down into three parts/levels.

Question 2

VA Eligibility

The Veteran must have served at least 90 days on active duty during a period of war. The officially recognized war dates are below.
The Veteran must also have been honorably discharged.

The surviving spouse of a Veteran meeting those requirements is also eligible.
World War II: December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946 extended to July 25, 1947,with continuous active duty on or before December 31, 1946
Korean Conflict: June 27, 1950, through January 31, 1955.
Vietnam Era: August 5, 1964, through May 7, 1975. (However, February 28, 1961, through May 7, 1975, for a Veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period.)
Persian Gulf War: August 2, 1990, through a date to be prescribed by Presidential proclamation or law.

Income and Assets:

The VA sets a MAXIMUM allowable income to receive the benefits. This maximum value depends on a number of factors and must be determined on a case by case basis.

Age:

If younger than 65, the Veteran must be totally disabled. There is no disability requirement for Veterans over 65. There is no disability requirement for a single surviving spouse.

Medical Condition:

One of these must be true:
- Another person is required to help the Veteran or spouse perform everyday living activities such as bathing, feeding, dressing, adjusting prosthetic devices, laundry, light housework, etc.
- The Veteran or spouse is bedridden.
- The Veteran or spouse is in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity.
- The Veteran or spouse has impaired eyesight

Answer

The “Aid & Attendance” pension pays benefits to those whose medical condition requires the assistance of another person. The “Housebound” pension pays benefits to those who are substantially confined to their home due to permanent disability. The VA uses four criteria to determine if “Aid & Attendance” benefits will be paid. The claimant must meet the requirements for each one in order to be paid benefits. Service Time:

Question 3

Application Process

Answer

If the Veteran or Spouse decides to use our services, the case representative will meet with them again to start collecting and documenting all of the required information for the forms and to sign a contract. An application to the VA typically contains 8-10 different forms, so data collection may take a significant amount of time depending on how much of the information is readily available to the claimant. Some forms require documented proof of the information such as the DD214, marriage and death certificates, and bank statements. If needed, we will begin the process to acquire some of those documents on behalf of the Veteran or Spouse. The case representative now submits an ‘Intent to File’ form to the VA to officially begin the process. Veteran Caregivers will immediately initiate assistance by placing the needed care workers into the home. This is done with a 0% short term loan. Home care usually begins on the first of every month. During this time, we will also arrange a basic medical examination. The doctor will confirm the medical eligibility and fill out the necessary forms. Once all of the data is collected, the actual VA forms are filled out by us. They are then reviewed by our accredited VA agent to ensure there are no missing or conflicting information. The case representative then meets with the Veteran or Spouse again to get all of the forms signed. The application is then officially submitted to the VA. Review and final approval by the VA may take up to 4 months. The VA will then begin to issue benefit upon approval. The first benefit will be a “catch-up” to cover the months during the application review. Part of this check will be used to pay-off the loan for home care. The monthly checks from the VA will then be used to pay for the monthly home care. The case representative will be making regular check-ins with the claimant to ensure the they are satisfied with the home care.

Question 4

Cost Of Program

Answer

The application process is a service provided by Veteran Caregivers at no charge to the Veteran or spouse with the signing of a home care contract. The immediate home care is made possible utilizing a short term loan. This loan is used to cover the cost of home care from the time the ‘Intent to File’ form is submitted to the time the VA approves the application. This process could take 3-5 months. The loan is 0% interest and requires no out of pocket expense from the claimant. The first benefit check received by the claimant from the VA will include back-pay for those months while the application was under review. Veteran Caregivers uses part of that check to pay off the loan.

Question 5

Why Use Texas Veteran Care?

Answer

Every Veteran or spouse may file the application directly to the VA themselves. All of the forms are downloadable from the VA. But there are a number of advantages to having Veteran Caregivers file the application. Case Reps: Our Case Managers work with the family to make the entire process as convenient and comfortable as possible. Our case reps are all experienced with In-Home Care and/or the VA. Case Managers know the laws and regulations relating to all aspects of the VA’s pension programs and in-home care. This experience and knowledge ensures forms are filled out correctly which offers maximum payout with decreased application time. We also have an Accredited VA agent as our direct link to the VA. Immediate Home Care: The application process may take up to 4 months from the time the VA receives it. That does not include the time needed to collect the information needed for the forms. If the Veteran or Spouse files the application, they would be responsible for paying for any home care out of their own pocket during the application process. Texas Veteran Care can provide home care immediately with no additional cost to the claimant. This is accomplished by a short term, interest free loan. The loan actually provides a 2nd large benefit. It can increase the monthly benefits received by the VA. This is due to the expense of the home care affecting a veteran’s income. Review Proccess: All applications go through a 2-step review process to ensure the applications are complete and all forms have consistent answers. The last review is completed by an Accredited certified VA Agent. He personally signs off on all applications before submittal to help ensure the applications are approved the first time. With so many forms, it is quite easy to make a mistake on 1 one form and have the VA return it for correction before it could can be resubmitted. Returned forms add a significant amount of time to the process. Document Collection: A number of documents are needed with the submitted application. Forms like the Veteran’s DD214, marriage certificate, and death certificate may be required. We can obtain those documents on the claimant’s behalf if they don’t have them. Medical Exam: The VA requires a doctor to fill out 2 forms to confirm the medical eligibility. Texas Veteran Care can arrange to have a nurse examine the claimant in their home to collect the information and fill out the form. No Forms To Fill Out: There are a number of forms that the VA provides to cover all situations. Usually an application will need 6 or 7 of those. Many are also multi-page. (Two of the forms are over 5 pages long.) The forms have to be completed to meet the VA requirements or they will be rejected until they are completed correctly. It can also be difficult sometimes to even understand what the form requires . The sheer amount of data and time can be daunting or even quite difficult for many people. With Veteran Caregivers, there are no forms to fill out. The case reps will ask questions and complete all of the data entry themselves. All forms are then automatically filled out using our specialized software. Home Care: Veteran Caregivers has working relationships with the top care- giver companies in the region. We match up the best provider for the claimant’s need. We handle all of the paperwork, scheduling, and payment. The claimant doesn’t have to manage or be stressed over any requirement.

Question 6

Can A Relative Or Friend Apply For Benefits On Behalf Of A Veteran?

Answer

Yes, but only once.

Question 7

If the Veteran has been approved for the pension and then passes away, does the Spouse have to reapply to the VA to continue to receive benefits?

Answer

Yes, unless the Spouse applied with the Veteran, required care at that time, and could prove payment of the care.

Question 8

Does the VA check on income after approval? Do they stop benefits if the Claimant’s income goes over the maximum at some point after approval?

Answer

While the VA does not check for income after approval, it will check with the IRS and if there are inconsistencies that person may be audited. Yes, they can stop or reduce the benefits.

Question 9

Are there restrictions on how the benefits can be used? Can they be used for medical costs?

Answer

If the Claimant has paid their listed medical costs out of their income first, then they can spend the remaining funds on whatever they want. If the Claimant has not paid their medical expenses, then the VA funds MUST be used for those expenses. The VA will expect to be repaid in full if they discover the benefits have been used for anything other than the stated medical expenses.

Question 10

If the application has been rejected due to income being too high for Aid & Attendance, is there another program from the VA that can provide home care assistance?

Answer

There is another program the VA has that supplies a caregiver for a few hours a week and for a short period of time.

Question 11

The Veteran has been approved from the VA and is receiving home care. The Veteran then has to relocate to a nursing home. Will the Veteran continue to receive benefits?

Answer

If the Veteran goes to an Assisted Living Facility, the cost will almost always be more than home care. The award will stay the same if already receiving the max benefits. If there is an increase in expenses and the Veteran is not receiving the maximum benefits, then the monthly benefit can be increased to the maximum.

Question 12

Is the Aid and Attendance pension considered income?

Answer

The Aid and Attendance pension is considered non-taxed income, but it is offset when it is used for medical expenses.

Texas Veteran Care helps Veterans and their families collect the funds needed for their home care.