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Have questions about aid & attendance for 100% P&T Viet Nam era


Hoppy

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Good Read broncovet  lot of Regs on this.

This is something a lot of us aging Vets need to be aware of and possibly understand the effects that our age will and can put upon us..to be ready when Our time comes for this...If it gets to where I can't care for myself.. am ready to meet my maker.

God Bless all us old & aging Vets 

Edited by Buck52
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  • HadIt.com Elder

T-bird—Thanks for your comments. Your mention of SMC gave me a new area to research. Before I was only searching “aid and attendance” The result I was getting involved the improved pension for veterans who did not have a service connected disability.  I am still finding what appears to me to be conflicting eligibility requirements .  This is what I found of significance. Shown below ---The VA iris site makes a reference to eligibility based on ANY CONDITION. However when I search BVA decisions for SMC the only decisions I find say DUE TO SERVICE CONNECTED DISABILITY.

Any and all concerned-----If I am 70%+ for a service connected condition do I have benefits under SMC or is there something else. I doubt that I will need nursing home care for my service connected vascular disease. I am trying to plan future financial resources in the event I have a stroke.  I am going to forward this post to my service org. on Monday. Unfortunately, the guy who got me 100% departed this earth many years ago. I just went over 20 years as 100% P&T.  We will hear what they have to say in the future.

From IRIS VA.GOV
VA benefits provide for a range of long-term services which include, 
Nursing Home……..  a veteran must be in need of such care and seeking nursing home care for a service-connected (SC) disability, OR is rated 60% SC and unemployable, OR is rated 60% SC and permanently and totally disabled (P&T) OR for any condition if the veteran has a combined SC disability rating of 70% or more……. Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability are exempt from long term care co-payments. …….

From BVA decisions
SMC at the "l" rate is payable when the Veteran, due to service-connected disability, has suffered the anatomical loss or loss of use of both feet or one hand and one foot, or is blind in both eyes, or is permanently bedridden or so helpless as to be in need of regular aid and attendance.  38 U.S.C. § 1114(l); 38 C.F.R. § 3.350(b). 

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Hoppy

Is there a chance you can put a redacted copy of your award letter on here  the reason& bases of your award  or What We Decided'' when you got the 100% P&T

(black out personal info)

I notice you went from 70% to 100% P&T. I was thinking they may have failed to award you SMC S back then?

once your awarded a SMC  then you can clime on up the SMC Latter so to speak  When you have another disabling Disability that arises   even secondary disability's

When a Veteran has a S.C. 100% rating and then files for another separate disability at least S.C at 60% the VA Has the Duty to Assist the veteran in giving him the highest possible rating that he is entitled to and inferr the Correct SMC he /she is entitled too!

Also you can check with Asknod.org   he has some great information as to how the SMC Latter works , he explains it pretty good as to what SMC A Veteran would be entitled too according to his S.C. Disability's..

.Now I am not so sure if the veteran has a NSC disability and getting compensation for that   if he would be entitled to the SMC?

Edited by Buck52
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  • HadIt.com Elder

Bronco and Buck Thanks for responding. The nuts and bolts of this benefit is what I am trying to understand. The nursing homes don't always speak the same language as the VA. Once I get it all translated it should be good insights for anyone who is 70% and getting old like me. I didn't see Fridays post. Re learning the site. SMC has not been a past consideration and is not currently. I am at risk for a stroke and I see stroke survivors every day here. I am trying to decided if I should keep my boat or not. If I run out of money or VA benefits. I will wind up in a state home for veterans. This place I am in is really nice. However, when you get to what they call "assisted living" it gets real expensive. A friend of mine told me his father was retired Marine Corp. and retired CA PERS and 60% service connected. He was told that he had used all available benefits from retirement plans and he would need to pay his continued hospice care out of pocket. They told him if he was 70% service connected the VA would pick up the hospice care. Unfortunately, he was only 60% and by the time he could process a claim for an upgrade he would be dead.  Hearing this I decided to google “70% service connected in nursing home”. Point being, it appears there would be information available somewhere that specifically address’s what benefit is available to 70% service connected veterans that is different than aid and attendance since anyone is eligible for aid and attendance with a lower rating than 70% or no ratable service connected disability. Just yesterday I found the IRIS statement regarding 70% service connected being eligible for coverage fore "any condition" I will check out the info that Bronco posted and the asknod Buck posted. I want to get a table of payments the VA allows for specific services provided as defined by aid and attendance and up the later for skilled nursing and even hospice care then compare it to the actual costs MY FACILITY charges.  

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Hoppy its good that you are concerned about your health or that you might have a stroke or seizure,??

I don't mean to sound mean or morbid or anything like that but Unfortunately 

 you can't put the cart before the horse  so-to-speak...we can't Assume we will need help  later in case we do have failing health   especially with the VA System .

People that have great private insurance  can   so unless you have that? your just stuck with the VA like me....

WE CAN ASSUME BUT IT DON'T DO ANY GOOD TO ASSUME.

 Your a 100% P&T Vietnam Combat Veteran  and you do have these benefits  should you need them..(SMC)

SMC is giving out for extra financial Aid According to the severity of the  S.C.disability......but they have to be a disability there  not just Assume they will be (If you have a Stoke)

The only thing I know you can do is seek out the information to another person or have them help you with a claim  when this time may come (if you do have a Stroke? IF AND  before you have a stroke or your health is failing that it takes your mind...>you need another trusting person that can help you with all this and knows about the VA Claims process.

So you my want to seek out another person that you can trust to prepare you for the unknown?

jmo

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  • HadIt.com Elder

Hoppy if you feel you may have had a slight stroke or felt light headed at times or dizzy  ect,,ect,, you can ask your PCP to check with the appropriate  clinic at your VAMC  to give you a MRI to see if you have shown to have a stroke.??

.if they do find something  then you will have it documented in your medical records  and the Dr can possibly prescribe you a medication that may prevent a future stroke??

jmo

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