March 17

Aid and Attendance Pension benefits for veterans

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Several months ago during a visit with a new client, I mentioned a financial resource they were not aware of through the Veterans Administration, the Aid and Attendance (A&A) Pension. Together, we navigated the system, completed paperwork and yesterday, the family called to let me know their first payment had arrived. It is such a joy to help clients tap into resources they earned and deserve to utilize as they age.  Especially a Veteran! Those smiles of relief and joy remind me of why geriatric care management is the right career for me. Here’s the basic information on the A&A program to see if you might qualify as well:

The A&A Pension provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing, and undressing or taking care of the needs of nature. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisting living facility also qualifies.

To qualify for A&A, it needs to be established by the physician that the person requires daily assistance by others to dress, undress, bathe, cook, eat, take on or off prosthetics, or leave their home. The person DOES NOT have to require assistance with all of these. There simply needs to be adequate medical evidence that the person cannot function completely on his or her own such as If the person is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity OR has corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

The A&A Pension can provide up to $1,758 per month to a veteran, $1,130 per month to a surviving spouse, or $2,085 per month to a couple.

A veteran filing with a sick spouse is eligible for up to $1,380 per month. Many families overlook the A&A Pension as it pertains to veterans who are still independent but have an ill spouse. Keep in mind that in this situation, if the spouse’s medical expenses completely deplete their combined monthly income, the veteran can file as a veteran with a sick spouse.

Donna Brock, a certified geriatric care manager with AOS Care Management, can be reached at  donnab@aoscaremanagement.com.

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