The VA Benefit Many Veterans and Their Widows Never Claim
Every Veterans Day, we take time to honor the people who served. But one of the most meaningful ways to honor an aging veteran, or the widow or widower of one, is making sure they actually receive the benefits they earned. In my years of elder law practice, I have met many veterans and surviving spouses who had no idea a benefit called Aid and Attendance existed, even though it could have been helping pay for their care for years.
What Is Aid and Attendance?
Aid and Attendance is a pension benefit through the Department of Veterans Affairs, separate from VA disability compensation, available to wartime veterans and their surviving spouses who need help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, or managing medications, or who are largely confined to their home. It is not tied to a service-connected injury. It exists specifically to help cover the cost of the kind of care many seniors eventually need, whether that is in-home care, assisted living, or a nursing home.
Who Qualifies
Generally, the veteran must have served on active duty for a minimum period, with at least one day during a wartime period (even if they weren't in the war or the area where the war was happening), and been discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Surviving spouses of qualifying veterans can also be eligible, even if they never served themselves. There are also financial requirements, both income and net worth, though unreimbursed medical and care expenses can be used to offset countable income. These thresholds change periodically, so it is worth confirming the current numbers rather than assuming an old figure still applies.
Because eligibility depends on wartime service dates, many of the people who qualify today are older veterans from Korea and Vietnam, along with the surviving spouses of veterans from World War II and Korea. Their families are often the ones who don't realize this benefit exists until someone mentions it.
The Massachusetts Soldiers' Homes
Massachusetts is also home to two Soldiers' Homes, in Chelsea and in Holyoke, which provide long-term and skilled nursing care specifically for veterans, often at little to no cost to those who qualify. For veterans who need a higher level of care and want to be surrounded by fellow veterans, this can be an option worth exploring alongside VA benefits.
Why This Often Gets Missed
Aid and Attendance is not automatic, and it is not something the VA typically brings up on its own. The application process asks for detailed medical and financial documentation, and it can take time to be approved. Families dealing with a health crisis are often too overwhelmed to research a benefit they don't even know to look for. This is also an area where coordinating with Medicaid planning matters, since the two programs interact, and decisions made for one can affect eligibility for the other.
Don't Let This One Go Unclaimed
If you have a parent, spouse, or loved one who served during a wartime period, or if you are the surviving spouse of a veteran, it is worth finding out whether Aid and Attendance could help. It is one of the more overlooked resources available to aging veterans and their families, and this benefit was earned.
At Senior Solutions, we believe that Planning + People = Peace of Mind®. This Veterans Day, part of honoring our veterans is making sure they get what they earned.
Senior Solutions, Attorneys at Law, is an Estate Planning and Elder Law firm serving the Greater Boston, Massachusetts area since 2001. We are ready to help you with Medicaid Planning, Estate Planning, Probate, Guardianship & Conservatorships and Special Needs Trusts. We are here to help. Please call our office at 617-489-5900 or schedule an initial consultation.
Comments