Helping Texas Veterans Obtain Funding for Long-Term Care
Helping Texas Veterans Obtain Funding for Long-Term Care
The Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension and Homebound Pension, which are Non-Service Connected Disability Pensions, are an important source of funding for long-term care. In fact, the Aid and Pension, which is about $1,900 - $2,000 per month for a Veteran or $1,000 per month for a widow, can often make a critical difference in enabling you or your loved one to move into a costly assisted living or personal care facility to receive appropriate, high quality long-term care. Our law firm provides advice and guidance through the maze of VA eligibility rules for qualifying for the pension, which is based on both financial and medical need. We can assist you with legal strategies for protecting assets accumulated over a lifetime of hard work, saving, and planning.
Nancy L. Stone, JD, MPH, Attorney at Law, is accredited by the VA to advise and assist clients in obtaining VA benefits. She provides advice on how to become eligible for the Aid & Attendance and Homebound Pensions, while preserving hard-earned assets to the maximum extent possible. She assists clients with navigating the complex rules of government benefits with the goal of qualifying the client for a VA pension, while also preserving the client’s eligibility for Medicaid nursing home care, in the event it may be needed in the future.
How to Qualify for the Aid and Attendance Pension
To qualify for a pension, a Veteran must have served 90 days of continuous, active service, with at least one day during an official wartime. The Veteran or the surviving spouse must be at least 65 years old and have a disability that results in the need for regular assistance with activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, grooming, or taking medications. The Veteran’s countable assets (bank accounts, real estate other than a home, stocks, etc.) cannot exceed approximately $30,000 and income must be zeroed out by medical expenses to receive the full pension.
Wartime Periods
Wartime periods as defined by the VA are as follows:
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WW I 4/6/1917 - 11/12/1918
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WW I 12/7/1941 - 12/31/1946
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Korean 6/27/1950 - 1/31/1955
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Vietnam 8/5/1964 - 5/7/1975 (start date is 2/28/61 for Non-Service Connected Pensions)
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Persian Gulf 8/2/1990 - ?
Medical Eligibility
To qualify for the Homebound Pension, the veteran or widow must be permanently and substantially confined to the home, with a need for daily assistance with activities of daily living (ADLs). ADLs includes:
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Dressing
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Bathing
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Grooming
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Feeding
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Getting out of bed
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Attending to the wants of nature
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Physical or mental incapacity which requires care to protect veteran from hazards
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May be bedridden
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May need help taking medications
To qualify for the Aid and Attendance Pension, the veteran or widow must need regular assistance with ADLs such that the patient cannot take care of him/herself and must require regular, but not necessarily constant, personal assistance from others.
Financial Eligibility
The Veteran’s countable assets (bank accounts, real estate other than a home, stocks, etc.) cannot exceed approximately $30,000 and income must be zeroed out by medical expenses to receive the full pension. Generally, there is not a look-back period for the Aid and Attendance Pension and the VA rules permit the use of certain trusts. Nancy Stone, JD, MPH, Attorney at Law, has the experience and expertise to assist you with the process of understanding the issues surrounding eligibility for the Aid and Attendance Pension, drafting trusts and other legal documents as needed, and implementing a plan for legally qualifying and applying for the pension.
Homebound or Housebound Pension
The eligibility rules for the Homebound Pension are very similar to the rules for the Aid and Attendance Pension. The Homebound pension pays the same amount of the Aid and Attendance Pension and is available to help pay for home care. In order to qualify, the veteran or the surviving spouse must be permanently and substantially confined to the home and need daily assistance with activities of daily living. |