Today, I want to continue to share information
on benefits that are not as well known as others. The Aid & Attendance and Housebound
benefits allow for extra pay, in addition to your normal pension payouts. Today’s post is for those who are 65 or older
and meet the eligibility requirements listed below. If you know of anyone who meets the
eligibility criteria please share this post with them or their caregiver.
As always, thank you for your support.
TTYL – Be blessed.
Eligibility
Generally, a Veteran
must have at least 90 days of active duty service, with at least one day during
a wartime
period to qualify for a VA Pension. If you entered active duty
after September 7, 1980, generally you must have served at least 24 months or
the full period for which you were called or ordered to active duty (with some
exceptions), with at least one day during a wartime
period.
In addition to meeting
minimum service requirements, the Veteran must be:
·
Age 65 or older, OR
·
Totally and
permanently disabled, OR
·
A patient in a nursing
home receiving skilled nursing care, OR
·
Receiving Social
Security Disability Insurance, OR
·
Receiving Supplemental
Security Income
Your yearly family
income must be less than the amount set by Congress to qualify for the Veterans
Pension benefit. Learn more about income and net worth
limitation (http://www.benefits.va.gov/PENSION/pencalc.asp), and see
an example of how VA
calculates the VA Pension benefit.
Aid & Attendance and
Housebound
Veterans and survivors
who are eligible for a VA pension and require the aid and attendance of
another person, or are housebound, may be eligible for additional
monetary payment. These benefits are paid in addition to
monthly pension, and they are not paid without eligibility to Pension.
Since Aid and
Attendance and Housebound allowances increase the pension amount, people who
are not eligible for a basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible
for pension at these increased rates. A Veteran or surviving spouse may not
receive Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.
Aid & Attendance (A&A)
The Aid &
Attendance (A&A) increased monthly pension amount may be added to your
monthly pension amount if you meet one of the following conditions:
·
You require the aid of
another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday
living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature,
adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting yourself from the hazards of your
daily environment
·
You are bedridden, in
that your disability or disabilities requires that you remain in bed apart from
any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment
·
You are a patient in a
nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity
·
Your eyesight is
limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric
contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less
Housebound
This increased monthly
pension amount may be added to your monthly pension amount when you are substantially
confined to your immediate premises because of permanent disability.
How to Apply
You may apply for Aid
and Attendance or Housebound benefits by writing to the Pension Management Center (PMC) that serves your state (http://www.benefits.va.gov/PENSION/resources-contact.asp). You may also visit your
local regional benefit office to file your request.
You should include
copies of any evidence, preferably a report from an attending physician
validating the need for Aid and Attendance or Housebound type
care.
·
The report should be
in sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing
physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting
the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs,
and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable.
·
Whether the claim is
for Aid and Attendance or Housebound, the report should indicate how
well the applicant gets around, where the applicant goes, and what he or
she is able to do during a typical day. In addition, it is necessary to
determine whether the claimant is confined to the home or immediate premises.
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