Obtaining VA Benefits

Veterans benefits may be available to help pay for the costs of long term care. The benefits are as follows.

Disability Compensation

Disability compensation is a benefit available to veterans due to injuries or diseases that happened while the veteran was on active duty. The disability must be service related and the veteran must have been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. The amount of the benefit varies depending on the extent of the disability. For 2010, the benefit amount ranges from $123 to $2,673 per month. The benefit is not taxable.

For certain veterans, there are a number of conditions and diagnoses that are presumed to be service connected. If you are a veteran of the Vietnam or Gulf War, a veteran exposed to ionizing radiation, or a former prisoner of war and you have a medical condition or diagnosis, you should check with an attorney or veteran representative to find out if your condition is presumed to be service-connected.

Veteran Pension

The veteran pension is a benefit paid to low income veterans who served in active duty during war time. The veteran must be permanently and totally disabled or aged 65 and older and must have been discharged under other than dishonorable conditions. In order to qualify, your income must be below the cap set by Congress each year. For 2010, the cap for a single veteran is $11,830 per year; and for a veteran with one dependant, it is set at $15,493. In addition, you cannot have excessive assets.

The pension benefit pays out a benefit amount sufficient to bring your annual income up to the income cap set by Congress. For example, if your currently monthly income is $750 per month ($9000 per year), the pension would pay you an additional $2830 per year ($235.83 per month).

A death pension is available to widows and children of a deceased veteran. In order to qualify, a widow must have income below the cap set by Congress each year ($7933 for 2010 for a single person) and the widow cannot be remarried. For a child to qualify, he must be under age 18 or in school and under age 23, must not be married, and his income must be below the annual cap.

It is important to note that only “countable” income is considered, and so it is recommended that you meet with an attorney or veteran representative to determine whether your income qualifies you for a pension.

Aid and Attendance and Housebound

Aid and Attendance is a benefit paid in addition to the veteran pension. In order to qualify, the veteran must meet the requirements of the veteran pension and must also:

• require the aid of another person to perform activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, feeding), or
• be bedridden, or
• be a patient in a nursing home, or
• be blind or nearly blind (5/200 or less)

Housebound is also a benefit paid in addition to a veteran pension. In order to qualify the veteran must be eligible for pension and also must:

• have a single permanent disability rated as 100% disabling and be substantially confined to the home due to the disability, or
• have a single permanent disability rated as 100% disabled and another disability(ies) rated as 60% or more disabling.

Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits result in the veteran receiving a higher monthly payment from the VA. A veteran cannot, however, receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) is a benefit for survivors of a service member or veteran who:

• died while on active duty or in training
• died as a result of a service-related injury or disease
• died as a result of a non-service related injury or disease but who was entitled to receive VA compensation for a service-connected disability that was rated as totally disabling. (Under this category, there are additional requirements regarding the length of time disability benefits were received or were entitled to be received).

A surviving spouse, surviving children (under age 18 or under age 23 and enrolled in school), or surviving parents may be entitled to receive DIC benefits. Unlike the death pension, widows and surviving children do not have to be low income in order to qualify for DIC benefits.

Other Benefits

Veterans or service members with service connected disabilities may qualify for a grant that can be used to construct a home or modify an existing home in order to make the home accessible and specially adapted to the veteran or service member’s needs.

Automobile grants are available to veterans or service members who, as a result of active duty service, suffered permanent impairment of vision in both eyes or loss (or permanent loss of use of) one or both hands or feet. The grants of up to $11,000 can be used to purchase a vehicle. The VA also has grants available for purchasing adaptive equipment necessary to operate a vehicle

Veterans who were victims of rape, physical assault, domestic battery, or stalking while serving in active duty may be eligible for disability compensation . The veteran must show that she separated under other than dishonorable conditions and must suffer from a disabling condition related to the trauma, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.