Veteran's Administration Program Helps Vets With Senior Living Expenses

It may be one of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' best kept secrets - and it helps veterans pay their senior living expenses! If you are a retired wartime veteran looking for ways to help pay for senior living care, the Veteran's Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit (also called 'A&A') may be for you.

A&A is classified as a special pension benefit which is paid in addition to other VA benefits. It is available to wartime veterans and their spouses, and helps defray the cost of senior living care whether you live at home or in a nursing, assisted living or senior care facility. A&A is also available to the veteran's spouse or widow, as well. Because it is considered financial assistance rather than VA compensation, it remains largely unknown and underutilized.

Not everyone qualifies for A&A, and the amounts provided to veterans vary according to financial need. Here are five common questions about the A&A benefit:

1. How Much Does A&A Contribute?
The Veteran's Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit is a needs-based program that provides up to $1,703 each month for a veteran. A surviving spouse is eligible to receive up to $1,094 monthly, and a couple is eligible to receive $2,019 monthly.

2. What is a Wartime Veteran?
The A&A benefit is only available to wartime veterans. That means the veteran needs to have served at least one day of his service during a time of war (World Wars I and II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf wars all qualify). The veteran does not need to have seen combat or served overseas, but must have received an honorable discharge.

3. Do I Qualify For Needs-Based Assistance?
Eligibility is based on need. The veteran or spouse must have limited assets. Limited assets is generally defined as less than $80,000, but remember - homes, vehicles and life insurance policies don't count toward the total asset amount.

4. How Do I Establish a Need for A&A?
The veteran or surviving spouse need must have a doctor establish their need for assistance. Typically, a doctor must document a need for daily assistance by others in order to complete tasks such as feeding, bathing, getting dressed, cooking or remove or placing prosthetics devices. Bedridden vets and spouses - as well as those suffering from mental or physical incapacitation - also qualify.

5. What if I Don't Need Constant Help? Do I Still Qualify?
It isn't necessary that the veteran or spouse require assistance with all of their everyday tasks. It is only necessary to provide medical evidence that the veteran or spouse cannot function entirely by themselves.

The VA's A&A program allows society to give back and provide for our country's heroes in the autumn of their lives, beyond Medicaid and a Veteran's Administration nursing home.