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Eldercare funding options -Part III
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The following article is Part III in a series of V on eldercare funding options.
Veterans Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit
Aid and Attendance is a commonly used term for an under-utilized veterans' disability income. The official title of this benefit is "Pension." The reason for using "aid and attendance" to refer to Pension is that many veterans or their single surviving spouses can become eligible if they have a regular need for the aid and attendance of a caregiver or if they are housebound.
The purpose of this benefit is to provide supplemental income to assist disabled or older veterans who have a low income or high medical costs. Pension is for war veterans who have disabilities that are not connected to their active-duty service. It is primarily intended for low income veterans, but a special provision in how Pension is calculated can allow veterans or single surviving spouses with high income to also receive the benefit which may be as much as $1949 a month. This special provision kicks in for veterans who have ongoing and expensive long term care costs.
Aid and Attendance Pension benefit can pay up to $1949.00 a month for qualifying long term care needs such as:
• Family members to provide home care
• Professional home care providers to come into your home
• Assisted Living or Adult Day services
• Nursing Home long term care
• Home renovations for disability
If the veteran’s income exceeds the Pension amount, there is usually no award given, however, income can be adjusted for unreimbursed medical expenses, and this allows veterans with household incomes larger than the Pension amount to qualify for a monthly benefit. There is also an asset test to qualify for Pension.
According to a recent study by the National Care Planning Council there are about 7.1 million living veterans over the age of 65 who served during World War II, Korea, Vietnam or the Gulf War. In addition the Council estimates there are approximately 4.4 million surviving spouses of these war veterans over 65. The veterans could be eligible for Pension under the right circumstances and their surviving dependents could be eligible for Death Pension under the right circumstances as well.
There are about 11.5 million potential beneficiaries for VA pension benefits in this country. The Census Bureau estimates there are approximately 35 million seniors over the age of 65. Comparing those who could receive pension over the total number of seniors in the US translates to 33% of all seniors being eligible for this veterans benefit income. Yet, according to government census statistics, only about 4.7% of the 11.5 million or so seniors who could qualify are actually receiving Pension or Death Pension. This is unacceptable!
Using a Veterans Benefits Consultant to Obtain Long Term Care Benefits
A veteran’s benefits consultant is an individual who helps veterans understand long term care benefits available through VA. This can include information on veterans health care, state veterans homes and veterans disability income benefits. Consultants place particular emphasis on VA Pension and Death Pension since these benefits are typically more useful for the elderly needing long term care. Pension is also known as" the aid and attendance benefit."
These experts can provide advice and guide the claimant through the maze of the claims process. Consultants help ensure a timely decision and avoid potential denials. The consultant’s job is to evaluate family income, family assets and potential conflicts with Medicaid and provide advice on the best strategies to pursue to maximize a Pension award.
Some consultants also help potential claimants realign their assets and complete important estate planning documents prior to making application. It is important when doing this to know the Medicaid rules and avoid potential Medicaid denial in the future.
Veteran’s benefits consultantsare private practitioners or in some cases representatives of veterans service organizations and are not connected with the Department of Veterans Affairs. They are a great asset in helping to understand the application process and can direct an individual to a VA service organization for filling in the application and making submission for a pension award.
Getting the Government to Pay Family Caregivers
Some 44.4 million adult caregivers -- or 21% of the U.S. adult population -- provide unpaid care to seniors or adults with disabilities, according to a 2004 study by the National Alliance for Caregiving in Bethesda, Md. On average, those caregivers provide 21 hours of care a week and the average length of time spent providing care is 4.3 years.
Over the years, the National Care Planning Council has received many public requests through its website. A number of these requests have been from family caregivers who had to cut back on their employment or even quit their jobs in order to take care of one or both of their parents. Invariably these caregivers assume there is a government program that will pay them to provide this care. Only recently has the Council become aware of some programs that will pay family members. These programs are not publicized and the public is largely unaware of them or how to receive them.
A totally overlooked source of money to pay family caregivers to provide care at home is the Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit. This money is available to veterans who served during a period of war. Pension money is also available to the widows of these veterans.
Getting the aid and attendance benefit to pay for family caregivers is not an easy task. This is because there must be a caregiver contract in place and services for care must be initiated and thoroughly documented before application can be made. Getting these applications approved requires using a consultant who understands the documentation requirements.
It is almost impossible for a family member who wants to receive the Pension benefit to comply with the documentation requirements without the knowledge of how the actual process of application works. Without knowing the specifics of how to do it, the veteran household or the family member will undoubtedly fail to receive the benefit. The help of an expert such as a veteran’s benefits consultant is necessary. It's not a do-it-yourself project!
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