On December 19, 2006, Jim Nicholson, Secretary of Veteran Affairs (VA), announced that they were reaching out to inform wartime veterans and their surviving spouses about an under-used, special monthly pension benefit called Aid and Attendance.
Veterans have earned this benefit by their service to our nation,” said Jim Nicholson. “We want to ensure that every veteran or surviving spouse who qualifies has the chance to apply.”
Although this is not a new program, not everyone is aware of his or her potential eligibility. The Aid and Attendance pension benefit may be available to wartime veterans and surviving spouses who have in-home care or who live in nursing-homes or assisted-living facilities.
Many elderly veterans and surviving spouses whose incomes are above the congressionally mandated legal limit for a VA pension may still be eligible for the special monthly Aid and Attendance benefit if they have large medical expenses, including nursing home expenses, for which they do not receive reimbursement.
To qualify, claimants must be incapable of self support and be in need of regular personal assistance. The basic criteria for Aid and Attendance benefits include the inabilities to feed oneself, to dress and undress oneself without assistance, or to take care of one’s own bodily needs. People who are bedridden or need help to adjust special prosthetic or orthopedic devices may also be eligible, as well as those who have a physical or mental injury or illness that requires regular assistance to protect them from hazards or dangers in their daily environment.
For a wartime veteran or surviving spouse to qualify for this special monthly pension, the veteran must have served at least 90 days of active military service, one day of which was during a period of war, and be discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.
Wartime veterans who entered active duty on or after September 8, 1980, (October 16, 1981, for officers) must have completed at least 24 continuous months of military service or the period for which they were ordered to active duty.
If all requirements are met, VA determines eligibility for the Aid and Attendance benefit by adjusting for un-reimbursed medical expenses from the veteran’s or surviving spouse’s total household income. If the remaining income amount falls below the annual income threshold for the Aid and Attendance benefit, VA pays the difference between the claimant’s household income and the Aid and Attendance threshold.
The Aid and Attendance income threshold for a veteran without dependents is now $18,234 annually. The threshold increases to $21,615 if a veteran has one dependent, and by $1,866 for each additional dependent. The annual Aid and Attendance threshold for a surviving spouse alone is $11,715. This threshold increases to $13,976 if there is one dependent child, and by $1,866 for each additional child.
Click here to obtain a free Long Term Care Handbook and a full description of this VA Benefit, please contact Nadine or her staff at 949-766-7808, toll free 800-350-1299, or email her directly at Nadine.Lord@natplan.com.
Additional information and assistance in applying for the Aid and Attendance benefit may also be obtained by calling the Veterans Administration directly at 1-800-827-1000.