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SMC for veterans that need help with disability of spouse?

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Buck52

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Anyone know if and what the regulations is for a Veteran needing help with his spouse that is also disabled?  (but she is not a veteran)

Is there any help from VA   To help cover the cost of a aid that comes out to help his wife bath and do some things to help her that her S.C. 100% Veteran can't help with  due to his disability.

Thank you in Advance

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On the VA official website it talks about aid and attendance for Veterans AND SURVIVORS.  https://www.benefits.va.gov/pension/aid_attendance_housebound.asp

I am pretty sure this means the criteria for A and A is the same for the Veteran as it is for his spouse.  So, yes, you should be able to get spousal A and A if she needs a and a.  

This said, Alex has made it clear the VA has no idea what they are doing when it comes to SMC for Vets, so they will know "even less" when it comes to spouse.  

If your wife needs A and A, then I suggest you apply, and maybe you wont even have to fight that hard for it as long as her disabilities and eligibility for A and A are well documented.  

 

Edited by broncovet
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Thanks broncovet.

''Spousal Aid & Attendance''....> Not Veterans Aid & Attendance. 

That's what I was afraid of, VA not knowing the SMC Regs. will have to spoon feed them with their own Regulations.

I'll research it.

It seems Hadit Member Hamslice mention he was getting about an extra 122.00 month  or close to it for help with his spouse  but I'm not sure he was referring to himself and his spouse? 

 Quote from HamSlice

''Also, if you take care of your wife, you are entitled to additional VA monies.  I am 80% and I get an additional $122 a month.  It's called Spousal Aid and Attendance.  Not to be confused with the disabled Veteran's Aid and Attendance.''

Edited by Buck52
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Buck,

I get the extra $122 becasue my non-veteran wife cannot  take care of herself, for certain things.

I applied for it and included my wifes SSDI medical records and decision.  I also included a statement from myself stating what I did and what percentage I did regards my wife.

As an example.  Cook for wife, 50% of the time.  Help wife in and out of tub, 100% of time.  Drive wife to doc appts, 100% of the time.  etc..etc..

I believe I might have even had a letter from her PCP stating that I helped her with certain things.

I am at work right now, so I can tell you the form that I used.

$152.02 is what a Veteran at 100% would get in addition for a A&A spouse.  If you look on the 2018 VA comp chart, footnote b, explains the payout.

FWIW,

Hamslice

 

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Thanks Ham

Medical Documentation and letter from her Dr would be no problem.

I Just got her out of the Hospital today from having double pneumonia and complicated by CHF.  But after double rounds of hi power antibiotics and diuretics  and breathing treatments the last 8 days  she got to come back home today.

she is on SSDI and getting medicare if this matters? for spousal aid?

SSA won't help us ,what she gets on SSDI/MEDICARE thats it .plus what I get from VA.

she has several things with her overall health,   Heart by pass in 2005, Osteoporosis in her spinal cords (very bad) & high B.P. Fibro, going blind

She been In and out of CHF (CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE) about 3 times a year now for the last 3 years ,  they just  give her durictics to get that down

she is very weak and can't do everyday things like bathing dressing herself, I  help her dress use the restroom, she cooks but that is getting dangerous  she leaves the burner on or forgets what she was doing, she has a power chair but refuses to use it but has to use a walker to get around.

we have always helped each other in all our health problems and we never gripe about it one time to one another.

she helped me for many years I could no longer work because of my S.C. Disability  before I got my VA she made the living.

now were both totally disabled   eh!

 I take her to all her Dr's Appointments and when I have a VA Appointment I have to leave her alone  which is getting hard to do(conflict)    she has been diagnosed with the 1st stage of Alzheimer's   so I am getting afraid to leave her by herself.

It's sad to see her this way but I made a promise to her 46 years ago until death do we part.  she is 2 years younger than me but looks 10 years older than Me  & very frail 90 lbs soaking wet.

Do you know the Form # to file  and this is non VA but pension correct?

Every little bit helps when it comes to paying for healthcare these days.

Only insurance we have is her medicare and medicare supplement & ChampVA  and I have the Medicare & the medicare supplement  plus the VAMC.

If something happens to her after being married 46 years I'm not so sure how I will go on living,  but got to think about today.

I just lost my older sister yesterday to complicated heart surgery, after the surgery her kidneys gave out.

she died while in recovery from the heart surgery 8 hrs later from kidney failure.

 

Edited by Buck52
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Note that 152 per month is "very low" to cover a spouse A and A, the Veteran gets SMC L which is much higher for his A and A.  

If you needed to hire someone to come in and provide A and A, 152 would not cover one day, let alone a month.  

I dont know if they have "higher levels" of A and A for spouse or not, like they do with Vets if Vets need round the clock nursing care.  

Like other stuff at Va, the VA loves to confuse Vets so few apply by doing things like having Caregiver assistance a totally seperate program which you have to apply for seperately.

https://www.caregiver.va.gov/

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