VA Benefits & Pension | Michigan
Too often, a veteran or his or her survivor is unaware of the various benefits to which he or she may be entitled. A large number of Americans who served our country during wartime are not taking full advantage of the financial support that is due to them. The Aid and Attendance Improved Pension Benefit gives veterans the opportunity to protect their life savings from being depleted by ever-increasing medical costs, the cost of assisted living, in home care, or nursing home care. While you struggle to provide dignified long term care for a veteran or surviving spouse, we can help you understand what the options are and how to access under-utilized benefits available to veterans.
Qualification Requirements for VA Aid and Attendance Benefits
If you, a spouse, or a parent is a veteran this information is important in making informed decisions about qualification requirements.
Financial Requirements to Qualify
Assets - There are financial eligibility requirements associated with the qualification for any VA pension, including Aid and Attendance benefits. The current rule of thumb is that a married veteran and spouse can have no more than $80,000 in "countable" assets and $50,000 for a single veteran or surviving spouse. Countable assets include retirement assets but exclude a home and a vehicle. Remember that this is merely a guideline and not a rule. There are other factors that the VA caseworkers consider such as age/life expectancy, income and medical expenses in determining whether the veteran or surviving spouse is entitled to pension benefits.
Income - Currently, there is no specified amount of income limit for VA pension benefits. As opposed to just looking at gross income, the VA considers what it refers to as "IVAP" (income for VA purposes). IVAP is equal to a claimant's gross income from all sources less countable medical expenses. Click here for a list of possible medical expenses. If a claimant's IVAP is equal to or greater than the annual benefit amount, the veteran or surviving spouse is not eligible for benefits.
Physical and Disability Requirements
The claimant must show that he or she requires the “aid and attendance” of another person in order to perform some of the basic activities of daily living. The medical evidence must be provided by a physician. Additionally, if the claimant resides in a facility, then the facility must also provide a letter stating that the individual resides in the facility because of the need for assistance with the activities of daily living.
The VA defines the need for aid and attendance as:
• Requiring the aid of another person to perform at least two activities of daily
living, such as grooming, transferring, eating, bathing, dressing or toileting;
• Being blind or nearly blind
• Being a patient in a nursing home.
The VA pension can be used for any type of care providers including: in home paid caregivers, personal care homes or assisted living facilities, adult day care or skilled nursing facilities.
How Do I Apply for Benefits?
Just give us a call! If you meet all the criteria for a service pension you still have to go through the application process. The VA pension application is very long and asks for many pieces of supporting documentation: military discharge papers, bank statements, marriage certificates, divorce decrees and a lot more to prove your health status. Once the actual application is completed and filed the average approval time takes six to nine months. Fortunately, the benefit is retroactive to the month after the application is submitted.
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