"aid And Attendance" An Under-used Benefit

[Guest allan]

Recent VA News Releases

To view and download VA news release, please visit the following

Internet address:

http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel

Secretary Nicholson: VA Reaches Out to Veterans and Spouses

"Aid and Attendance" an Under-Used Benefit

WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2006) - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is

reaching out to inform wartime veterans and surviving spouses of

deceased wartime veterans about an under-used, special monthly pension

benefit called Aid and Attendance.

"Veterans have earned this benefit by their service to our nation," said

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Jim Nicholson. "We want to ensure that

every veteran or surviving spouse who qualifies has the chance to

apply."

Although this is not a new program, not everyone is aware of his or her

potential eligibility. The Aid and Attendance pension benefit may be

available to wartime veterans and surviving spouses who have in-home

care or who live in nursing-homes or assisted-living facilities.

Many elderly veterans and surviving spouses whose incomes are above the

congressionally mandated legal limit for a VA pension may still be

eligible for the special monthly Aid and Attendance benefit if they have

large medical expenses, including nursing home expenses, for which they

do not receive reimbursement.

To qualify, claimants must be incapable of self support and in need of

regular personal assistance.

The basic criteria for the Aid and Attendance benefit include the

inability to feed oneself, to dress and undress without assistance, or

to take care of one's own bodily needs. People who are bedridden or

need help to adjust special prosthetic or orthopedic devices may also be

eligible, as well as those who have a physical or mental injury or

illness that requires regular assistance to protect them from hazards or

dangers in their daily environment.

For a wartime veteran or surviving spouse to qualify for this special

monthly pension, the veteran must have served at least 90 days of active

military service, one day of which was during a period of war, and be

discharged under conditions other than dishonorable.

Wartime veterans who entered active duty on or after September 8, 1980,

(October 16, 1981, for officers) must have completed at least 24

continuous months of military service or the period for which they were

ordered to active duty.

If all requirements are met, VA determines eligibility for the Aid and

Attendance benefit by adjusting for un-reimbursed medical expenses from

the veteran's or surviving spouse's total household income. If the

remaining income amount falls below the annual income threshold for the

Aid and Attendance benefit, VA pays the difference between the

claimant's household income and the Aid and Attendance threshold.

The Aid and Attendance income threshold for a veteran without dependents

is now $18,234 annually. The threshold increases to $21,615 if a

veteran has one dependent, and by $1,866 for each additional dependent.

The annual Aid and Attendance threshold for a surviving spouse alone is

$11,715. This threshold increases to $13,976 if there is one dependent

child, and by $1,866 for each additional child.

Additional information and assistance in applying for the Aid and

Attendance benefit may be obtained by calling 1-800-827-1000.

Applications may be submitted on-line at

www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp. Information is also

available on the Internet at www.va.gov or from any local veterans

service organization.

To unsubscribe from this list, or to update your name or e-mail address,

please visit the following Internet address:

<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opalist_listserv.cfm>

<http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/opalist_listserv.cfm>

[Philip Rogers]

Rick:

I agree with John if someone who is stuck at home in a wheel chair is not Housebound who is. It seems that for some reason the VA is on a push to grant more Housebound as they never publicize anything that they don't want to give out.

One proviso is that anyone who puts in a claim must be aware it can spark a review of their present evaluation ot the hammer they hold over us. I figured that since I had a brand new diagnosis from my own VA Doc it would be hard for them to go against that.

Pete - I'm going to disagree with you on the wheelchair issue, in that it can't be the sole cause but can cause other hardships. Nowadays, with all the specialized HC equipment for ambulating and driving, being in a wheelchair doesn't have the same issues it had years ago. HB and A&A are both the same payment. In your case I think your agoraphobia qualifies you for it. For a PTSD rated vet the anxiety of leaving a safe area can qualify them. I know vets that literally don't leave their property except for medical appointments and maybe an occassional holiday meal with family. One qualifies for A&A based just on the need of help from others and it doesn't need to be paid help. This can be for things as simple as meal preparation, compliance with medication orders, the looking out for issues of safety in ones daily life, to name a few. I can't cook because I easily get distracted and forget that I have something on the stove, until the smoke detector sounds and by then the meal is past edible, plus the issue of potential fire. Safety issue. We'll see if I win?

I think this new interpretation by the court will open the door for many, no matter what some of you Monday night quarterbacks/legal experts think. jmo

pr

Edited December 23, 2006 by Philip Rogers

[john999]

Rick and Pete

I wonder about the effects of strong narcotics on a persons ability to leave home and drive etc. I take morphine for a service connected condition and it has made driving very tricky. I have fallen a number of times as well and even split my head open. It has increased my depression as well. I have the agoraphobia diagnosis and a social phobia diagnosis in a rating decision. Because of my pain disorder I do fear being in places where I do not have control of my environment. I want to wait and see what happens and keep up on Phil's progress. I have been IU P&T for five years.

I would bet a steak dinner that Pete gets his HB rating. For the IU people filing for HB may be a back door way of getting an increase in their total rating to 100% schedular. If the VA intends to grant HB they will bump you up to 100%. It is always a crap shoot and I don't think you can know for sure until you file and are awarded or denied. The only thing we IU people have to fear is a total review of our conditions. Unless you have gone back to work how are they going to reduce your IU grant?