BRIDGEPORT - Wise County Messenger

SAVVY SENIOR
ALL AROUND WISE, Decatur, Texas, Thursday, April 9, 2009 7
By JIM MILLER
Dear Savvy Senior,
Does the VA provide any financial
assistance to help veterans or
their spouses pay for long-term
care My father, who served in
the army many years ago, receives
some in-home care right now but
will eventually need to move into
an assisted living facility because
his health is deteriorating. Can the
VA help
Searching Son
Dear Searching,
That’s a great question. There’s
ctually a little-known veterans’
enefit that helps wartime veterns
and their surviving spouses
ay for a variety of medical and
ong-term care costs. Here’s what
ou should know.
VA aid
The VA benefit that may help
your dad is called “Aid and Attendance,”
a special pension benefit
established in 1952 that provides
a tax-free monthly income up to
$1,644 for a veteran; $1,056 for a
surviving spouse; or $1,949 for a
veteran and one dependent. The
money can be used to pay for inhome
care, assisted living and
nursing home care as well as medical
expenses, prescription drugs
and more.
Today, around 150,000 veterans
and surviving spouses receive this
benefit, but hundreds of thousands
more are eligible and either don’t
know about it, or don’t think they
can qualify for it.
To qualify, your dad must have
served at least 90 days of active
military service with at least one
day of service during a period of
war (stateside or overseas), and
was not dishonorably discharged.
(Single surviving spouses of war
time vets are also eligible if their
marriage ended due to death.)
Your dad will also have to meet
certain physical and financial requirements
to be eligible.
To qualify physically, he must be
at least age 65 and need help with
basic everyday living tasks such as
eating, dressing and undressing,
bathing or going to the bathroom.
Being blind or in a nursing home
or assisted living facility for mental
incapacity also qualifies. Or
if he is under age 65, he must be
completely disabled. (Single surviving
spouses have no age restrictions,
but they must require help
with basic everyday living tasks to
be eligible.)
To qualify financially, your dad
must have limited assets (usually
under $80,000) excluding his home
and vehicle. And his annual income
(minus medical and long-term
care expenses) cannot exceed the
Maximum Allowable Pension Rate
(MAPR), which in 2009 is $19,736
for a single veteran; $12,681 for a
surviving spouse; or $23,396 for a
veteran and their spouse.
To calculate your dad’s income
qualifications, add up his income
over the past year (including Social
Security, pensions, interest
income from investments, annuities,
etc.), minus any out-of-pocket
medical expenses and long-term
care costs over that same period of
time. If the final tally is under the
MAPR, and he meets the other requirements,
he’s eligible for aid.
How to apply
To learn more, check to see if
your dad is eligible, or to apply for
Aid and Attendance, contact your
state or local veteran’s service
organization. They can walk you
through the process and help you
with the paperwork. To find your
nearby office, call the Department
of Veterans Affairs at 800–827–
1000 or visit www.va.gov. You can
also apply online at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp.
■
Send your senior questions to:
Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman,
OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org.
Jim Miller is a contributor
to the NBC “Today” show
and author of “The Savvy Senior”
book.
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