Veterans and Spouses: Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit, part 2

Tax-Free, Monthly Pension for Qualifying Veterans/Spouses

The Veterans Administration offers a little-known source of money to assist paying long term care costs entitled Aid & Attendance. This is a tax-free, monthly pension for qualifying veterans/spouses with certain recurring medical expenses, including homecare services. Of the 35+ million Americans age 65 and older in this country, approximately 11.5 million are veterans who served during a period of war – or their surviving spouses. This represents almost 33% of our senior population.

To qualify, any veteran DOES NOT require out-of-country deployment.

However, there are many misunderstood aspects to the Aid & Attendance pension. Home Care Partners will identify and dispell many of the myths and misconceptions concerning the pension benefit, the application process, and the proper use of pension funding.

— Myth # 1: Any veteran is eligible.

Answer: No, the Aid & Attendance pension is only available to veterans with wartime service. The VA has very specific enlistment dates relative to U.S. declared war… World War II (12/7/41 – 12/31/46), Korean Conflict (6/27/50 – 1/31/55), Vietnam Era (8/5/64 – 5/7/75 and 2/28/61 if “in-country” before 8/5/64), and Persian Gulf (8/2/90 – date to be set by law). The veteran must have served in a branch of the military, and been given an honorable discharge from service.

— Myth # 2: All surviving spouses are also eligible.

Answer: Not exclusively. A divorce may have ended the relationship between husband and wife, which in this case may be the “veteran and spouse” claim category. A divorced spouse is no longer eligible for VA benefits. And a copy of the marriage certificate is required as a component of the application.

— Myth # 3: Applicants must be 62 or older

Answer: There are no age limits on this pension. Applicants must meet certain criteria on service time, medical/health needs, liquid assets, and income. But age is not a factor.

Call Home Care Partners at (781) 378-2164 to discuss in greater detail.

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