Help for Father-in-Law

[texasvet]

 

Hello All,

My 91-year-old father-in-law is getting weaker by the day with all kinds of medical problems from COPD to bladder cancer to just being old.

I’m pretty certain that he told me years ago that he is 40% compensated for hearing loss due to his 20+ year career spent as a jet engine mechanic in the Air Force. 

His 81-year-old wife, that he’s been married to for 60+ years, is in the middle stages of Alzheimer’s and I’m going to make an effort to see if I can get him to sit down with me and go over his VA benefits and his finances and see if he has a will with an executor assigned.

I’ve got a number of questions and I’m sure more will come up as the months pass by. 

Here goes:

1.  Since he has Tri-Care how are his wife’s health benefits affected when he passes?

2.  Will Tri-Care pay any benefits if she moves into a 24/7 Alzheimer’s care facility.  

3. Will Tri-Care pay for any Alzheimer care facility costs?

4. She gets a few hundred dollars a month from Social Security and since her husband gets a bigger Social Security check, will she be entitled to part of it?

5. Will her or his Social Security pay any additional for Alzheimer’s care?

6. Since he has had his VA rating for over 10 years, will she be able to collect any DIC monthly benefit when he dies?

7. At this point, I don’t know if either one of them has Medicare insurance.  If they do, does that help or if they don’t, does that help?

Again, I’m going to try and meet with him in the next month or so and start formulating a game plan because when I saw him a few days ago, he told me he did not know what was going to happen to his wife should he die first.  

I’d like to get some thing in the works to ease his mind. He has enough to worry about.

Thanks,

Texasvet

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[GBArmy]

Texasvet You have a lot of moving parts so you have to take small bites of the problem. To keep all your questions and responses in one place so people can follow your progress, keep posting against this email thread at the end of the comments section. Turn off you "caps" selection on the keyboard; no use to keep "shouting." First thing you need to do is get a power of attorney; call the Veterans Advocate office and ask them what form you need that the VA will honor. (They probably can answer some of your TriCare questions also, but you can get responses here at Hadit and elsewhere on those. I don't have Tri-care, so I will leave that to others.) #4 and #5 SS to the survivor is half what the deceased persons benefit, so if he received $1000 a month, she would be entitled to $500. However, I also believe there may be a significant reduction in SS payouts if the person is in a nursing home. You have to contact the SS office to get info on that. #6 No, if he is rated at 40%, she won't get DIC. He has to be rated at 100%, or,  to have died as a result of the service-connected disability. Most people can't link DIC to a hearing disability. If you could get him upgraded to 100% by increase in his current or additional disabilities, then there is a small window for DIC. I would talk to a county Veteran Service Officer (VSO) maybe, Texas Veterans Commission ? It's a long shot but he may be able to get TDIU because his hearing loss is so severe; check with them. #7 See #4 & #5 above. Hard to believe one or both of them don't have medicare; check with SS. Note you may need that power of attorney for that as well.

 

 

[Berta]

Great advice above from GBArmy.

There is also plenty of TRICARE info on the net such as:

https://www.tricare.mil/ and at multiple other sites and we have some Tricare vets here.

 

 

 

 

[Buck52]

Texasvet

I think its very nice of you  for helping your father-in law and mother-in law  thats wonderful and also very hard to be put in that situation.

Unfortunately it don't look good for DIC , like was said above your father-in-law needs to be rated 100% or  have a total disabling rating  to qualify for the DIC .

Check with the SSA as for as Medicare Helping out?  I would be sure and ask a person in that office that knows abut these things  the general clerks there will not be of help.

 With  the VA  The 10 years would be for any disease that caused his death  >if he was 100% or have a total .disabling rating.

Now  at 40% that will not qualify.  He will need to apply for increase on his  S.C. hearing loss,  its more than likely more than 40% now  but at his age he needs to do that ASAP.  he needs to get check out at the VA Hospital , Also if he has Bladder cancer  and was Vietnam Veteran boots on the ground perhaps he would qualify for a Presumption diseases caused or related to the chemical Agent Orange. if he does File a Claim A.S.A.P. Ask to have it Expedited  due to his Age.  (don't hurt to ask.)  check with an experience Veteran service Officer.

When the time comes for your Father-in-law to pass  the VA will help with funeral expense  but I don't think that is enough its like maybe 250.00 $$

I recommend that you read Ms Berta END OF LIFE FOLDER  Blog here on hadit

 

As for as What GB Army mention about using ''CAPS''  I see nothing wrong with your post , you have the text increases in size & space out accordingly and makes it very easy to read in my opinion.

Normally when someone uses ALL CAPS we call it shouting and everyone thinks this poster is upset or just mad  and no one likes to get involved with those type post (I my self am guilty of using CAPS) not that I mean to, its just that I accidently hit the CAP button.

If you have any more questions please ask them  we will help all we can.

And Thank you for helping your Father in-law  he is our fellow Brother and we wish him and his spouse the very best.

Edited January 18, 2021 by Buck52

[Berta]

I need to add that I believe this veteran's oldest adult child ,

assuming that would be your spouse , would be the one to hold his POA, legally.

It seems he might have served during Korean war , ( There are AO presumptives for certain Korean incountry War veterans) and/or  the spouse might be eligible for a wartime pension, if not DIC ,  but that depends on many, many factors.

And as the VA told me long ago I was eligible for a wartime pension when my Army husband died long ago, but my income was too high.But  I receive DIC under my second USMC husband's death.

Also via Tricare he might have an annuity being payable to her in the event of his death.

 GBA is correct when he said "Most people can't link DIC to a hearing disability."

I have only seen one DIC award on that basis in over 2 decades.

The veteran died of a NSC heart attack. The spouse aggressively proven that his SC HL caused him to have a heart attack.

Nothing is impossible- it just takes LOTS of time and LOTS of work.And often a costly IMO/IME.

(Independent medical opinion/evaluation by personal exam of a non VA expert)

Also you stated he gets 40% SC comp but that might be waived for him to receive his full retirement amount every month:

Or he receives it from VA and it is deducted from his retirement pay.

He would need 50% or greater to be eligible for CRDP.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[texasvet]

Thanks to all. Yes, I’ve got a lot of stuff to do and there’s a big IF involved.

 

My father-in-law is a very private person and I’m not certain that he will sit down with any of his family or myself and let us see what all of his finances are. I believe he has a will, but it is the basic will that was drawn up when he was in the Air Force many, many years ago.

I was recently the executor of my older brother’s estate and even though he thought that his will spelled everything out to make my job simple, it was an absolute mess.  It took nine months of my time & $17,000 in attorney fees to settle his estate.  He had 26 different financial instruments, some were in the will, some were not.  All it takes is one unhappy beneficiary to screw things up and unfortunately I had one. He was the reason that the attorney fee was so high, but everything finally was done to my brothers wishes.

As far as my text goes, I was having Internet connectivity issues so I used the notepad on my iPhone to dictate my text and then pasted it over to hadit. It looks like it appeared much larger, which I like since I need reading glasses. . 

Thanks

Texasvet

[Buck52]

My mother was married to a 30 year lifer US Army, when he died she got nothing from the VA, But I think she did continue to receive his retirement check and half of his SS, He continue to work after his Army retirement, so those two was enough income for her to live on  it was not that much  but she seem to do ok financially , she had Medicare also but not ChampVA  He never filed a claim for his benefits   which as I know Now he could have should have  but  hine sites 20/20.

My mom passed away in April 2010 and was sick for a long time so we  the family all agree that we sell all her belongings and for her to go stay with our older sister out in palm springs California  being she was the most able finance wise to take care of her &  my older brother  Our mom chose him before she got down to bad with her sickness to take her to the funeral home where they both lived for years and she picked out her casket and made her funeral arrangements ..So when she died everything was taken care of. with the exception of their head-stone  which my wife and I took care of that. as for as her money  well she didn't have that much left after my older sister paid for most of her meds and care with what my mother had left..she had a 5.000.bureal policy  which help transport her body back to Oklahoma  to her home town where they both lived  (BORN AND RAISED )after his Retirement.  they both were buried side by side  that's what they both wanted.

she wanted all her sons to be Paul-bears and we all carried out her wish.

it was a fairly nice funeral as for as no feuding between siblings ,we all are glad she got rid of everything before she passed  because of all her grandchildren...there were 3 that thought she own them the moon...but at her funeral that all went ok. 

Needless to say I was Numb during the funeral  I had dreaded this day ever since I can remember. it was one of the hardest things I ever had to do.

its always good to have a good plan before our loved ones pass.