Our last article focused on the basics of the Veteran’s Affairs Pension (“VA Pension”), but now we turn to the next level of income provided: aid and attendance. Like the basic pension, a veteran must still meet the service and monetary requirements, but a more stringent level of disability is required.
To qualify for aid and attendance level benefits, a veteran must may be presumed disabled, and has required assistance with two activities of daily living. A presumed disability is met when a veteran is blind, or prescription blind, or a patient in a nursing home.
Activities of daily living include inability to dress or bathe, incontinence, assistance with bed motility, assistance walking, assistance eating, or protection from hazards of daily environment. To meet these requirements the veteran does not have to have current assistance but must show they would need help with the activity. For example, Joe wears slippers as shoes because he is unable to tie laces. Joe doesn’t currently have anyone helping him get dressed, so he would qualify for the “assistance dressing” activity.
Mental incapacity can meet the above requirements as well. If Joe can’t remember he is supposed to turn the stove off, or is constantly forgetting to bathe, he would meet the requirements for assistance, even if he is not physically disabled in any way.
Because Aid and Attendance has the same requirements as the basic pension for need, it is important to plan in advance for long term healthcare. A veteran who has an IRA, a home, a car, and a few thousand dollars in a checking account can find themselves overqualified for Veteran’s Affairs benefits, but underqualified to provide care for the remainder of their life. Our firm can help put all the pieces into place with strategized planning to assure longevity of assets and the best level of lifetime care. Call Grissom Law, LLC, we have the skills, experience, and expertise to assist you in preparing your plan.
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