What are the requirements to receive aid and attendance benefits?
Veterans have risked their lives to help protect our country. As veterans age, they, like all of us, may require some assistance. In an effort to ensure our valued veterans are provided for in their time of need, the government has created several benefit programs available solely to veterans. One program is known as Aid and Attendance benefits. Aid and Attendance offers eligible veterans funds to pay for the aid of another person. If you or a loved one is a veteran in need of home aid, read on below to find out more about Aid and Attendance benefits.
Aid and Attendance Eligibility
Aid and Attendance benefits are paid in addition to a VA pension. For qualifying veterans, these benefits are added onto your monthly pension if you are a veteran who requires the aid and attendance of another person. To qualify for these benefits, you must meet the qualification requirements for VA pension and Aid and Attendance. Veterans who are 65 or older, totally or permanently disabled, a patent in a nursing home, or receiving SSD or SSI benefits may qualify for a pension. You must also meet income and net worth requirements.
To receive a VA pension and Aid and Attendance benefits, your income and that of your spouse must not exceed the pension amount for which you are eligible. Not all of your income will be countable, and you can deduct certain expenses. Current net worth limits are set to $123,600, but not all of your assets will count towards this amount.
In addition to meet the financial requirements for a VA pension and Aid and Attendance benefits, you must demonstrate that you meet one of the conditions below:
- You require the aid of someone else in order to perform basic personal functions, like feeding, bathing, dressing, and the like;
- Your disability causes you to be bedridden;
- You are a patient in a nursing home with a mental or physical incapacity; or
- Your eyesight is less than 5/200 in both eyes.
Your veteran’s planning attorney can help you to determine if you are eligible for a pension. For veterans in need of care, Aid and Attendance benefits can provide the vital assistance you need. Contact an attorney to get started applying for these benefit today.
