Veterans Benefits Guide: Helpful information and tips for aging seniors

Veterans Benefits Guide: Helpful information and tips for aging seniors

In this interactive guide, you will find:

Overview of benefits

2

Eligibility requirements 3?6

VA benefits award amounts 7

VA benefits application steps Helpful resources for your application VA benefits application checklists

8 9 10?11

Get expert senior living advice at no cost to your family, as we are paid by participating communities. Connect with a senior living advisor today. 1-866-381-9961

Overview of benefits

Overview of VA benefits for long-term care

Long-term senior care can be costly, but U.S. military veterans and their surviving spouses may be eligible to receive veterans benefits that provide financial assistance. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, or VA, offers two veterans benefits that offset the costs of long-term care:

The VA Aid and Attendance benefit is paid to eligible veterans or surviving spouses who need assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs) such as bathing, dressing, feeding, and mobility or transfers.

The Housebound benefit is paid to eligible veterans or surviving spouses who have a permanent disability, are confined to their homes, and are unable to leave without assistance.

If your family member qualifies for either one of these benefits, they will receive an additional monthly income that is added to their VA Pension or Survivors Pension. Any funds your loved one receives can be used at their discretion.

How do we choose which benefit to apply for?

A veteran or surviving spouse cannot receive both Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time. There are a few differences in the eligibility requirements. If your loved one requires assistance with ADLs, the Aid and Attendance benefit will award a higher amount. The Aid and Attendance benefit can offer up to $2,643 a month to help pay for long-term care for a qualifying veteran and their spouse.

VA long-term care benefit Assisted living Memory care Nursing home Home care Family caregiver*

Aid and Attendance X X X X X

Housebound benefit X

*Fees paid to a non-licensed, in-home caregiver, such as a friend or non-spouse family member, typically qualify as an eligible care type to qualify for Aid and Attendance and may be able to be deducted from income calculations.

Overview / Eligibility Requirements / Award Amounts / Application Steps / Resources / Application Checklists

2

Eligibility requirements

Eligibility overview

In order to qualify for VA benefits for long-term care, your loved one must already be receiving VA Pension or Survivors Pension. Alternatively, they may apply for VA pension benefits at the same time they apply for long-term care benefits.

To qualify for long-term care benefits, a veteran or surviving spouse must meet three types of requirements:

1

Service requirements

regarding active duty and

discharge

2 Financial

requirements

around net worth

3

Clinical requirements

for disability or assistance

with ADLs

If your family member is a surviving spouse of a qualifying veteran, they must have been married at the time of and not remarried after the veteran's death.

1 Service requirements

Veterans benefits for senior care are available for qualifying veterans and their surviving spouses, as long as:

? The veteran served at least 90 days of active duty, including at least one day during a wartime period. This doesn't mean the veteran had to see actual combat.*

? The veteran received an honorable or general discharge. A dishonorable discharge disqualifies veterans and family members.

*A veteran who started on active duty as an enlisted person after Sept. 7, 1980, needs to have served at least 24 months or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), with at least one day during wartime. Or, a veteran may also qualify if they were an officer who started on active duty after Oct. 16, 1981, and hadn't previously served on active duty for at least 24 months.

Periods

Dates

World War II

Dec. 7, 1941 ? Dec. 31, 1946

Korean conflict

June 27, 1950 ? Jan. 31, 1955

Vietnam War Era (for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam)

Nov. 1, 1955 ? May 7, 1975

Vietnam War Era (for veterans who served outside the Republic of Vietnam)

Aug. 5, 1964 ? May 7, 1975

Gulf War

Aug. 2, 1990 ? future date to be determined by law or a presidential order

Accurate as of December 2022, source:

Overview / Eligibility Requirements / Award Amounts / Application Steps / Resources / Application Checklists

3

Eligibility requirements

2 Financial requirements

Your loved one's net worth must fall below $150,538, which is the limit set by Congress until November 30, 2023. Your loved one's net worth includes their household income and assets, minus any deductible expenses:

Household income includes salary or hourly pay, bonuses, commissions, tips, Social Security benefits, any retirement payments, and any income your loved one's spouse and dependents may receive.

Assets include personal property such as land, investments, and home furnishings. However, assets don't include your loved one's primary place of residence, their car, and basic home items like appliances they wouldn't take with them if they moved to a new house.

Qualifying deductible expenses include the cost of senior care, medical expenses that are not reimbursed, Medicare premiums or Medicare supplemental premiums, and products or services prescribed by your loved one's doctor.

Example:

If a veteran's annual household income is $24,000 and their assets add up to $111,000, their total net worth before any deductions is $135,000. The veteran currently pays $1,000 a month for home care, for a total annual expense of $12,000.

The veteran would meet the financial requirement because their total net worth would be $123,000 for VA benefit purposes.

+ $24,000 Household income $111,000 Assets

- $135,000 Total before deductions $12,000 Annual home care cost

$123,000 Total net worth

You need to know:

Net worth is not fixed and financial eligibility can change over time Your family member's net worth may currently be above the limit set by Congress. As they spend down their savings or as their medical expenses increase, their net worth may change. This means that they may eventually meet the financial eligibility criteria and qualify for VA benefits.

Financial eligibility is subject to a three-year look-back period Veterans who transfer assets to someone else, such as a friend or family member, for less than the market value in the three years before applying for VA benefits may suffer a penalty. This may occur if the transferred assets would have financially disqualified the veteran for VA benefits otherwise. Veterans who suffer a three-year look-back penalty may not be eligible for benefits for up to five years.

Overview / Eligibility Requirements / Award Amounts / Application Steps / Resources / Application Checklists

4

Eligibility requirements

3 Clinical requirements

Your loved one must meet both the clinical requirements for VA Pension and the clinical requirements for either Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits.

Clinical requirements for VA Pension

In order to qualify for VA Pension, the veteran must meet at least one of these requirements:

? Be age 65 or older

? Have a total and permanent disability

? Be a patient in a nursing home receiving skilled nursing care

? Receive Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income

Clinical requirements for Aid and Attendance

Your loved one may be eligible for Aid and Attendance benefits in addition to VA Pension if they meet at least one of the below requirements:

? Need a caregiver for assistance with personal care such as bathing, dressing, or feeding. This assistance can be provided by a senior living community or an in-home caregiver

? Must spend a large portion of the day in bed because of an illness

? Live in a nursing home as a result of physical or mental disability

? Have limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes) or have a visual field of 5 degrees or fewer

Clinical requirements for Housebound benefits

Your loved one may be eligible for Housebound benefits in addition to VA Pension if they meet at least one of the below requirements:

? Are confined to their home because of a permanent disability

? Only leave home to attend doctor appointments or to receive medical treatments

Overview / Eligibility Requirements / Award Amounts / Application Steps / Resources / Application Checklists

5

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download