Questions From A Lamer

[lobo]

1- How much money can veteran have in bank and still draw benefits

2-Can a veteran own a home and draw benefits, I own half a home left to me in a special needs trust

from my mother's will

[lobo]

It's not a big trust, about 15,000 cash, well thats before lawyer "asks don't tells" me, and the house half to me and half to my older brother, my half would be valued at about 60,000. I recieve no monthly check from trust and will says Government can not hold trust against me nor take it as long as I don't use trust money for same purposes as VA pension.

What I really want to know and can not find anywhere is how much money can I have in my regular checking and savings account before VA thinks I'm a cow pattie and cans me, I am permanenty and totally disabled, draw aid and attendance, am NON-service connected disabled, thanks all who have helped

Edited November 30, 2006 by lobo

[Pete53]

Anyone on a Non Service Connected Pension should be very careful as the VA does look and I have heard but have nothing but hearsay to go by that even an accumulation of checks in an account is suspicious to the VA.

[Hoppy]

It is my undrstanding based on the fight I went through that the VA considers any montly income from any soure as being available for the same types of purposes as the NCS pension. They decide the availablity of the use not the veteran. This cost me 500.00 a month for many years unil I got service connected. In the long run I did not lose any money becaue my service cinnectio went back to a time prior to the payments for the trust. Thus, they would have subtracted the NSC money from my service connected award as being already paid.

[lobo]

Mine is a specials needs trust that does not pay me anything and will says government can not hold it against me

[Hoppy]

If you do not receive monthly payments then the only problem you have to deal with is the net value of the property and the possible effect a 50.000.00 or more asset would have on the one year period you rec'd the property. The 50.000.00 limit is discussed in many documents vailable on the VA website and by doing google searches. The provisions of the trust will not alter what the VA does. Also a SO can get this info. The best thing to do is tell the VA what you get and then fight them if you can. The VA's ability to audit your resources is explained in the documentation you already get from them. This is my opinion. My trust also has special needs and spend thrift provisions.

[lobo]

If you do not receive monthly payments then the only problem you have to deal with is the net value of the property and the possible effect a 50.000.00 or more asset would have on the one year period you rec'd the property. The 50.000.00 limit is discussed in many documents vailable on the VA website and by doing google searches. The provisions of the trust will not alter what the VA does. Also a SO can get this info. The best thing to do is tell the VA what you get and then fight them if you can. The VA's ability to audit your resources is explained in the documentation you already get from them. This is my opinion. My trust also has special needs and spend thrift provisions.