VA AID & ATTENDANCE BENEFITS
MILITARY REQUIREMENT QUESTIONS:
- Is the claimant a Veteran?
- Does the claimant have 90 consecutive days of service?
- Was at least one (1) day of service during a war time period?
- Did the claimant receive a discharge other than dishonorable?
- Is the claimant 65 years of age or older and in need of assistance from another person to help with their activities of daily living? [walking, bathing, dressing, transferring, etc.]
MILITARY REQUIREMENT – WARTIME:
- World War I: April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918, inclusive
- World War II: December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946, inclusive
- Korean Conflict: June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955, inclusive
- Viet Nam War: February 28, 1961 – May 7, 1975, inclusive, for a Veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period. The period beginning on August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975, inclusive, in all other cases.
- Persian Gulf War: August 2, 1990 through date to be prescribed by Presidential proclamation or law.
VA GENERAL QUALIFICATIONS
VETERAN, WIDOWED SPOUSE, AND DEPENDENT OR DISABLED CHILD (ANY MAY BE A CLAIMANT)
- Veteran Must have Served at Least Ninety Days Active Duty with One Day of the Ninety During a Qualified War Period (Ninety Days Must Generally be Consecutive, with Some Exceptions)
- Veteran Must have had an “Other Than Dishonorable Discharge”
- Claimant’s Physician Must Declare Him/Her as Housebound and in Need of Assistance from Another Individual, Which May Include Services Offered by Assisted Living
- Claimant Should have Less than $80,000.00 in Household Assets; Excluding Primary Home, Car, and Personal Belongings (If Assets are Jointly Owned by Other than Spouse, Only the Claimant’s Share is Generally Countable. In the Case of a Married Veteran, Both His/Her Assets are Countable. Although $80,000.00 is Typically the Asset Cap, the VA May Also Consider the Claimant’s Life Expectancy and Demand Lower Total Assets. In the Case of Excessive Assets, It May be Best to Consult an Elder Law Attorney)
- Claimant’s Household Out-of-Pocket Yearly Medical Expenses Must Exceed or Come Close to His/Her Total Yearly Household Gross Income (A Portion of the Total Yearly Cost of Assisted Living is Typically Considered a Medical Expense)
- Widowed Spouse Must have been Married to the Veteran for at Least One Year, OR have had Children by the Veteran if Married Less than One Year, AND Never Remarried
- Widowed Spouse Must have been Living with the Veteran at the Time of the Veteran’s Death, Unless the Separation was Due to Medical or Military Reasons (There May be Some Exceptions Related to Separations Due to Abuse)
- Minor or Disabled Adult Children May Qualify for Limited Benefits on Their Own
Please contact our office at 816-554-3330 to reserve a seat for our next Medicaid and VA Planning Seminar.