Are you a Veteran or a surviving spouse who needs assistance with daily tasks? If so, you may be eligible for VA benefits that can help you pay for your care. Here’s how you can apply for Veterans benefits and use them to receive care.
Determining Your Eligibility for VA Benefits
If you want to know how to get Veterans benefits, you need to know whether you meet the VA’s requirements for receiving them. Some baseline requirements include:
- Serving 90 consecutive days of active duty
- Serving at least one of those days during a period of war
- Receiving an honorable discharge
The specific benefits program you apply for can have additional requirements. For example, if you apply for the VA Aid & Attendance pension benefit, you cannot exceed a specific maximum net worth. In 2020, that maximum net worth is $129,094. There’s also a 3-year look-back period, which means the VA will examine whether you gave any assets or funds away to make yourself eligible for the benefit. You should always keep financial requirements in mind as you begin applying for Veterans benefits.
You should also look into whether the benefit you’re applying for has any physical requirements. As an example, the Aid & Attendance benefit requires that recipients need physical help performing daily activities, are bedridden, are staying in a nursing home due to a disability-related issue, or have extremely limited eyesight. If you meet your VA benefits’ physical requirements, then you can use those benefits to receive the home care or health care you need.
What Can You Use Your VA Benefits For?
You can get Veterans benefits for assisted living or nursing home services, or you can use them to receive home care services. In general, your pension benefits or other VA benefits should go toward improving or maintaining your quality of life in a comfortable environment. For some people that may mean moving into an assisted living facility or a nursing home, depending on their physical needs. However, leaving home to receive long-term care isn’t the choice for everyone. If that’s how you feel, you can also use your VA benefits for home care services.
Home care services include feeding, meal prep, bathing, grooming, medication reminders, dressing, and other assistance with everyday tasks that will help you maintain a good quality of life in your home. If this kind of care sounds like a good fit, you can receive home care from a provider in your area. AVCC specializes in pairing Veterans with local home care providers who will help you with day-to-day activities.
However, we must note that home care services do not include skilled health care services. Still, you can put your VA benefits toward home care services and Veterans’ health care services if that’s what your needs require.
Applying For VA Benefits
If you’re wondering “How do I apply for Veterans’ health benefits?”, we have an answer for you. AVCC screens Veterans to determine their Aid & Attendance eligibility. Then we fill out their applications and submit them to the VA. That may sound like a simple task, but the VA application process can become complicated, which is why we’re here to help you.
Could you apply for your VA benefits yourself? Yes, you could. But working with AVCC to apply for benefits is like hiring an accountant to prepare your taxes. Trusting a professional to complete and submit your application means it’s more likely to be approved. It’s also less likely to get tangled up in various bureaucratic knots. Once we submit your application, we regularly contact the VA to make sure it’s moving through their approval process. We also have a VA-accredited lawyer on staff to ensure the process goes smoothly.
Ultimately, working with AVCC will give you more support and resources as you apply for your A&A benefit.
Could you apply for your VA benefits yourself? Yes, you could. But working with AVCC to apply for benefits is like hiring an accountant to prepare your taxes. Trusting a professional to complete and submit your application means it’s more likely to be approved.
Begin Applying for VA Benefits Today
If you want to know if you could receive the A&A benefit in addition to your Veteran’s pension, reach out to us today. We’ll help you find out if you can supplement your basic pension to improve or maintain your quality of life and receive the care services you need.
