Page 3 - Senior Times South Central Michigan - July 2016 - 23-07

Senior Times - July 2016 Page 3
VA AID AND ATTENDANCE PENSION
Probably the most underutilized Veteran’s benefit available is the Aid
and Attendance Pension. Every Veteran out there who is eligible for this benefit earned it by serving our country and should be lining up to be sure that they benefit from that service.
Aid and Attendance (A&A) is a special pension offered by the VA, which provides benefits for Veterans and their spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in their activities of daily living. There are four criteria to be met in order to apply for A&A; military service, medical need, assets, and income.
1. Military Service – Any War-time Veteran with 90 days of active duty, one day beginning or ending during
a period of War, is eligible to apply
for the A&A pension. He or she may also apply for benefits for his or her spouse. A surviving spouse (marriage must have ended due to the death of the Veteran) of a War-time Veteran may also apply. The Veteran must have been discharged under “Honorable” or “General under Honorable” conditions in order to be eligible.
2. Medical Need – One of the greatest things about A&A Benefits is that they do not require a service-connected injury to qualify. However, the Vet- eran, spouse or surviving spouse must need the assistance of another person to perform daily tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, etc. Being blind, disabled, or in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity,
or residing in an assisted living facility also qualifies. A physician’s
statement and statements from caregivers or facilities are required to verify this information and must include a current diagnosis and prognosis.
3. Asset Eligibility – The case workers use subjective methods to determine asset eligibility, but it is based on a Vet- eran’s ability to pay for his or her own care without outliving his or her money. Life expectancy is also considered. Assets include: CDs, annuities, stocks, bonds, savings, checking, IRAs Keogh, etc. The home (if the Veteran or his spouse is still residing there), car and life insurance are excluded. A&A is different because there is currently
no “look-back” period for divesting (giving away) your assets. Getting the advice of a qualified elder law attorney might be a valuable first step before divesting of assets.
4. Income Eligibility – A Veteran’s income is measured after medical expenses are subtracted. Medical expenses include: assisted living and nursing home costs, home health care services, health insurance premium, Medicare premium, regular (unreim- bursed) prescriptions, and some over the counter items, (depends, etc.). Sources of income include Social Security, pension, interest income, dividends, income from rental property, annuities, investments, etc. When the Veteran’s (and/or spouse’s) income is being outweighed by his or her medical expenses, he or she is income-eligible for A&A.
This benefit pays for home care, assisted living and adult foster care expenses, where
traditionally, people would have to go
into a nursing home to have the government (Medicaid) help pay for their care. This benefit is a great alternative to Medicaid
or even long-term-care insurance (for those who are not insurable).
This benefit is not a “hand out.” Every Veteran out there who is eligible for this benefit earned it by serving our country and should be lining up to be sure that they benefit from that service. There are many places to turn if you believe that you and a loved one might qualify for this benefit.
Information can be obtained by calling the Veterans Administration at 1-800-827-1000.
Locally, interested individuals can also visit the Calhoun County Veterans Affairs office in the Toeller Building located at 190 E. Michigan Avenue, Suite 397B, Battle Creek, MI, 49014. They are open Monday through Friday 8:30am-4:30pm. Additional information may be obtained by calling Aaron Edlefson, Director, at (269) 969-6735.
Many Assisted Living Facilities will work with you if they know the resident qualifies for A&A. Fortunately, all benefits are retro-dated back to the original filing date, so be sure to ask
if this option is available.
An Elder Law Attorney may be able to help you as well. There are several in this issue of Senior Times.
Check out the Senior Care Directory online at www.veteranaid.org/seniorcare. php to help identify a facility that may be able to help. You can speak with a senior living expert at (888) 723-8276.