Need Some Information

[gdsnide]

OK As I said " I have a couple of questions" which are as follows

My nephew is getting a medicial retirement from the Army as he broke/bent or what ever his trigger finger & is unable to shot a rifle & the Army wanted to send him back to Iraq but they wanted to amputate his finger first

His mom talked him out of the operation & he is now getting a Medicial Retirement rated at 65%

Can anyone tell me where I can look up the rates of pay for medicial retirements & I have given him the name of hadit so I suppose he will be here as soon as he can

I also have another question from a Vet who is in a similar situation as me

His Wife got ill & he has to put her in a Nursing home & he is a disabked vet & he says the Nursing home wants 6k a month for her to be there ( Sounds like a lot of money to me)

But, he said " she could be in there on Medicade" but he said the catch is one has to be broke before one is eligible

He also asked me if Medicade would count his disabilty pay towards the family money because if they don't she would qualify

Also, he was wondering if Medicade could attach his VA Disability for any payments due

I think ( I may be wrong) but from talking to him he wants to know if his disability is just for him or is it community property

Meaning can his VA disability be forced to pay for a Nursing home or is it a seperate

I hope I have explained this right & if there is a similar post it is because I also gave him the hadit address

Any help will be appreciated

GARY

[USMC_HVEQ]

The 65% for the DOD retirement will be of his highest rank pay over last 3 yrs. So example : E-5 $2200 then it would be 65% of it or $1430 taxed. DOD retirement benefits are taxable and considered earned income. Now if he also applies for VA compensation and is award say 70%, then he would recieve about $1220 tax free from VA and the difference (1430-1220) for retirement. If he rec'd more from the VA all retirment amount would be waived in leiu of tax free benefits and is nto considered taxable benefits and is not reported. My numbers are not accurate, I was merely trying to show an example. The good thing is his family would have medical benefits for life, which with rising health costs is a huge thing to have, just not monetarily in the pocket is all. I know 100% for a fact, others can chime in and give better answeres then I.

[12R3G]

Pretty sure Chap 61 Disability (i.e., medically retired) benefits are NOT taxable. 65% disabled = 65% of base pay (does not include allowances such has housing, meals, etc.). Once he gets a VA rating, his Chap 61 benefits will be offset dollar for dollar. VA benefits are tax free. Once retired he is retired and gets a retiree id card (dependants, too) and can access the base, use MWR, shop at the PX, Commissary, etc. and is retains medical coverage under TRICARE (dependants, too). He is also eligible to use the VA medical system (and should for SC condtions).

Medicaid questions are complicated as each state makes it's own rules for eligibility based on federal guidelines. The magic dollar amount is usually ~$2000 dollars (assets, income). Unearned income is "worse" than earned income.

He has some complex legal and financial questions that need answering. He should seek the counsel of a judge advocate (free for him) or an attorney specializing in medicaid issues. The JA should be able to answer his questions on disabliity pay and how it's treated. He can also call the state or county office that handles medicaid in his state (or visit the website). There are plenty of resources he can access...he really needs to speak with local experts to get the corrrect answers to his difficult questions.

[gdsnide]

USMC & 12R3G.... Thank U very much for the answers & I shall pass them on

Sincerly GARY

[USMC_HVEQ]

Ch 61 Benefits are taxable....I fell under that category and had to pay taxes becuase they didnt take enough out.

[12R3G]

well that just s##ks :(