100% Disabled

[Jmgonzales1966]

My husband is 100% permanent disabled.  He is 72 years old and also gets retirement and social security and I work full time.  He has a rare lung condition called pulmonary Fibrosis.  He has been in the hospital for 3 weeks and is still not stable enough to come home.  But when he does get to come home I would like to know if he would be eligible for home healthcare?  And if so where do I go to apply?  income guidelines?  I hope to be able to keep him home and take care of him but what if he will need to go to a facility because he can't walk?  Would he be eligible for a VA Hospital?

 

 

[Berta]

Here are some of the options  and eligibility available:

"VA provides nursing home services to veterans through three national programs:

• VA owned and operated Community Living Centers
• State Veterans' Homes, owned and operated by the states
• The community nursing home program.

Each program has admission and eligibility criteria specific to the program.

 

Nursing home care is available for veterans who need nursing home care for a service-connected disability, veterans or who have a 70% or greater service-connected disability, or veterans with a rating of total disability based on individual unemployability.

VA provided nursing home care for all other veterans is based on available resources.

VA Community Living Centers

 

A Community Living Center (CLC) is designed to resemble home as much as possible. There are activities for veterans of all ages, veterans are allowed to decorate their rooms, and keep pets. There are more than 130 CLCs, most are located near VA hospitals.

 

Veterans may stay for a short time or, in rare instances, for the rest of their life. It is a place where they can receive nursing home level of care, which includes help with activities of daily living (e.g., bathing and getting dressed) and skilled nursing and medical care.

Some of the services provided at CLCs include:

• 24-hour skilled nursing care (e.g., help with a wound or IV care)
• Restorative care
• Access to social work services
• Geriatric evaluation and management
• Mental health recovery care
• Special care for veterans with dementia or other cognitive deficits
• Respite care
• Palliative and hospice care for end of life

A copay may be charged for CLC care based on VA service-connected disability status and financial information. 

State Veterans' Home Program

State Veterans homes are owned and operated by individual states. The states establish eligibility criteria and determine services offered for short and long-term care.

VA pays a portion of the veteran's cost if the state meets VA standards.

Specialized services offered are dependent upon the capability of the home to render them.

Please visit our State Veterans Benefits page for locations and details.

Community Nursing Home Program

The VA establishes contracts with community nursing homes. This program helps meet the nursing home needs of veterans who require long-term nursing home care in their own community and meet the enrollment and eligibility requirements.

The VA will only pay for Community Nursing Home care for those who meet eligibility criteria including service connected status, level of disability, and income.

Other Care Options

In addition to nursing home care, VA offers a variety of other long-term care services either directly or by contract with community-based agencies. Such services include

For More Information

For more details check out the VA's website.

• Medical foster homes
• Adult family homes
• Assisted living
• Adult day health care
• Home based primary care
• Homemaker and home health aide care
• Palliative and hospice care
• Respite care
• Skilled home health care
• Telehealth care
• Veteran-directed care

 

https://www.military.com/benefits/veterans-health-care/va-benefits-nursing-home-care.html

Is he service connected for the pulmonary fibrosis?

Is the 100% for VA service connected disabilities?

Based on your post I assume he is not in a VA hospital presently- have you spoken to the social worker assigned to his case?

Have you gone through the annual Medicare booklet to see what options Medicare has?

The VA web site info is at:

https://www.va.gov/health-care/about-va-health-benefits/long-term-care/

 

 

[broncovet]

Maybe, but with VA its always more complicated than that.  If you mean he is 100 percent P and T with VA, then he should be eligible for "Aid and attendance", if he needs help and meets their criteria and you/he applies.  

With A and A, YOU can provide the care and, if he is eligible, he can get compensated for your A and A.  I can provide better answers if you fill in details.  

[Berta]

Thanks Broncovet- we do need more info----

Depending on where this veteran lives, their could even be restrictions on admissions, visitors etc. due to Covid.

https://www.va.gov/geriatrics/pages/VA_Community_Living_Centers.asp

A VA CLC near me has vaccinated all med personnel and patients in their CLC.

However many of the local non- VA assisted living centers have had problems with the virus and none of them can accommodate inperson visits, but they try to get the patient near a widow when they expect a visit.

I called a member of my church the other day  in an assisted none VA  living center, and she is so grateful she has a tablet whereby she can do face time with her many children and grandchildren.

She has not had an actual visitor since last May. Our Covid numbers are growing, in this part of NY. I attend church primarily via Zoom or U tube.

I heard 4 potential covid ambulance calls yesterdaywithin 20 miles of my home.An ice storm we had, although a brief one, has still felt ice here in the hills and on some of the roads, and has made it more difficult for our EMS services to get to the ambulance calls.

 

Edited January 4, 2021 by Berta

[broncovet]

You can download the form for A and A, here:

https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-2680/

Or, you can contact a local VSO who could assist you filling out the form, be careful for "pension poachers" who charge you for filling out the form.  Its not necessary to pay thousands for people to fill out this form for you.  

There are varying levels of Aid and Attendance, mostly dependent on the level of care needed.  For example, if an untrained person can provide care such as eating, bathing dressing, etc., then that is the lowest level.  

However, if you need the 24 hour care of a nurse, then the compensation goes up to help pay for a round the clock nurse.  

A VSO should be available at your VAMC.  (DAV, VFW etc).  

There are also other VA programs to help disabled Vets with severe disabilities who cant leave the home, at least some of which Berta provided links for.  

In some circumstances, your home can be adapted to accomodate his needs, such as a SAH grant.  This grant is to help Vets with things such as wheel chair ramps and other devices to assist the severly disabled.  

https://www.vba.va.gov/pubs/forms/vba-26-4555-are.pdf

 

There is also a program to provide a van with wheel chair accessability, if needed and if he meets the criteria.  

 

[broncovet]

The VA also has compensation for "housebound", if he is substantially confined to the home.  Its called SMC S, and its about an extra 370 or so per month.  The Aid and Attendance benefit, if eligible for that, is more, about 700 per month.  Its called SMC L.  You can apply for "housebound" and Aid and attendance at the same time.  While you wont be awarded "both" of these at the same time, you could get one or the other.  

There are also many other benefits for "loss of use", such as loss of use of an arm, foot, let, eyes, even loss of use of a sexual organ.  You can generally "stack" these loss of use on top of each other, for example if you are blind, and have loss of use of foot.  These are called SMC, special monthly compensation.  Severly disabled Vets can get up to around 8000 per month:

https://www.va.gov/disability/compensation-rates/special-monthly-compensation-rates/

Of course, we dont know if/how many of these he is eligible for, because we dont know if has any loss of use.  

[Jmgonzales1966]

So he is getting the 100% for mental health condition for the past 6 years.  He has been receiving compensation at different percentages since being medically retired from the Army in 1970.  I am wondering if I should open a claim for the pulmonary fibrosis and link it to the mental health condition..   Would I risk them taking away his 100% if I start a new claim?  His rating says permanent and total rating  also so I think that means they can't change the 100%?    I have calls in to the vet reps for my county so hopefully they can help me out..  I am just trying to prepare in case I am going to need help