The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs helps veterans and their families by providing supplemental income through Veterans Pensions and also, Survivors Pension benefits. Seniors can use veteran benefits to supplement the cost of senior care options including assisted living, skilled nursing care, memory care, in-home care, adult day services, and most residential care homes licensed by the state.
As long as seniors qualify for a VA pension and meet some basic eligibility requirements, they can take advantage of the additional benefits.
Eligibility for Veteran Benefits
In order to qualify for a basic VA pension, your senior must be a veteran and:
- discharged from service under other than dishonorable conditions, and
- Served 90 days or more of active duty, with at least one day during a period of war
In addition, the family must not have an excessive net worth, and also not have a countable income above the limit set by Congress. Countable income includes earnings, disability and retirement payments, and more. Unreimbursed medical expenses can also help reduce countable income.
A summary of VA Pension Benefits can be found online. Veterans and Survivors can view the current Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) on the VA website.
Eligible War Time Periods
When determining whether a senior is eligible or not for VA benefits, the VA recognizes the following wartime periods:
- World War II (December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946)
- Korean conflict (June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955)
- Vietnam era (August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975); However, those that served in the Republic of Vietnam as early as February 28, 1961, are also eligible
- Gulf War (August 2, 1990 – a future date set by Congress)
Qualifying for Veteran Benefits
The VA helps to care for veterans, spouses, and their families. Furthermore, for elderly veterans, there are two additional programs to provide them with extra financial assistance. However, they must already be eligible for VA Pension benefit.
Qualifying for Basic VA Pension
To qualify for a basic VA pension your senior must also meet one of the following requirements:
- 65 years of age of older
- Totally and permanently disabled
- A patient in a skilled nursing facility
- Receiving Social Security Disability insurance
- Receiving Supplemental Security Income
Qualifying for Aid & Attendance
Aid & Attendance (A&A) allowances are additional monetary payment added to the basic VA pension monthly amount. If your senior veteran is eligible for the basic VA pension benefit, you may also be able to get A&A by meeting one of the additional conditions below:
- Veteran or survivor requires the aid of another person in order to complete personal functions required in everyday living; may include bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, and more
- Veteran or survivor is bedridden but must be a part of a prescribed course of treatment or therapy
- Veteran or survivor is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, including Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Veteran or survivor eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less
Qualifying for Homebound Benefits
If your elder is confined to their immediate premises, they may be eligible for an additional monthly pension amount.
Applying for Veteran Benefits
For veterans looking to apply for pension benefits, they will need to complete an “Application for Pension”, or VA Form 21-527EZ.
For survivors, they will need to fill out the “Application for DIC, Death Pension, and/or Accrued Benefits”, or VA Form 21-534EZ.
These forms can be mailed or dropped off at your local regional benefit office.
Because there are so many ways a veteran can benefit, the VA recommends that you appoint an accredited Veterans Service Officer to help. You can find an accredited officer using eBenefits.
