{"id":11194,"date":"2017-01-25T07:00:52","date_gmt":"2017-01-25T13:00:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.senioradvisor.com\/blog\/?p=11194"},"modified":"2019-08-13T10:34:09","modified_gmt":"2019-08-13T15:34:09","slug":"does-your-parent-qualify-for-the-va-aid-attendance-pension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/d30braiqprupoq.cloudfront.net\/blog\/2017\/01\/does-your-parent-qualify-for-the-va-aid-attendance-pension\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &#038; Attendance Pension?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/12\/Does-Your-Parent-Qualify-For-the-VA-Aid-Attendance-Pension-1.png\" rel=\"attachment wp-att-11370\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-11370\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/12\/Does-Your-Parent-Qualify-For-the-VA-Aid-Attendance-Pension-1-350x293.png\" alt=\"Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &amp; Attendance Pension- (1)\" width=\"350\" height=\"293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/12\/Does-Your-Parent-Qualify-For-the-VA-Aid-Attendance-Pension-1-350x293.png 350w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/12\/Does-Your-Parent-Qualify-For-the-VA-Aid-Attendance-Pension-1-768x644.png 768w, https:\/\/s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/img.prod.aplaceformom.com\/main\/uploads\/sa-blog\/2016\/12\/Does-Your-Parent-Qualify-For-the-VA-Aid-Attendance-Pension-1.png 940w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/a>Attendance Pension?<\/h1>\n<p>If your parent is a veteran or the widowed spouse of one, he or she may be eligible for a VA benefit program to help pay for care. The Aid &amp; Attendance pension is for qualified veterans and spouses who need daily care and meet certain financial and military-service requirements. Here are some of the most common questions about A&amp;A and how you can find out if your parent qualifies for the Aid &amp; Attendance pension.<\/p>\n<h2>Who&#8217;s eligible for the A&amp;A program?<\/h2>\n<p>A surprising number of eligible veterans don\u2019t know about Aid and Attendance or assume they won\u2019t qualify. Veterans who served during wartime, even if they never saw combat, may be eligible if they have assets of less than $80,000 (excluding their home and one car) and need daily help with self-care or medical care. Our sister site <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VeteranAid.org<\/a><\/strong> helps families understand and navigate the application process. Their FAQ page includes <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/faq.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">a list of official wartime periods<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>What services does the A&amp;A pension benefit pay for?<\/h2>\n<p>The Aid and Attendance benefit helps with the cost of in-home care, assisted living, and nursing home care for veterans and their spouses who need help with activities of daily living, mobility, and supervision for safety.<\/p>\n<h2>How much money does the A&amp;A program provide?<\/h2>\n<p>As of this writing, the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.aplaceformom.com\/planning-and-advice\/senior-housing-101\/veterans-benefits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">A&amp;A program pays monthly benefits up to<\/a><\/strong> $1,881 for qualified veterans, $2,230 for veterans with spouses who need care, $2,984 to qualified couples, and $1,177 to the surviving spouse of a qualified veteran.<\/p>\n<h2>How do I help my parent apply?<\/h2>\n<p>Set aside time in your schedule and make room for paperwork. You\u2019ll need to submit these items:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>DD-214 Discharge\/separation papers<\/li>\n<li>Copy of marriage certificate<\/li>\n<li>Copy of current Social Security benefit statement<\/li>\n<li>Net worth total, including bank accounts and investments<\/li>\n<li>Proof of income from all sources<\/li>\n<li>Proof of out-of-pocket, un-reimbursed medical costs, including insurance premiums, medications, bills and co-pays<\/li>\n<li>A voided check for direct deposit of benefits upon approval<\/li>\n<li>A letter from your parent\u2019s doctor including your parent\u2019s diagnosis, health status and prognosis, and any needs for help with self-care, travel, and attendance.<\/li>\n<li>A\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/docs\/nursing_home_status.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>\u200bNursing Home Status Form<\/strong><\/a>, if your parent is already a nursing home resident<\/li>\n<li>A list of the doctors and hospitals your parent has visited in the past year<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/docs\/VBA-21-0845-ARE.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>V\u200bA form 21-0845<\/strong><\/a>\u200b(Authorization to Disclose Personal Information to a Third Party) to allow the VA to share information with you about your parent\u2019s application<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Make copies of everything, keep the originals, and send your application packet via Certified Mail so you have a record of the delivery date.<\/p>\n<h2>What else do we need to know about the A&amp;A program?<\/h2>\n<p>Know that you\u2019ll need patience. The time it takes to approve your application will vary, but VeteranAid.org says 6 to 9 months is the <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/faq.php\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">typical range for processing A&amp;A applications<\/a><\/strong>. If your parent is 90 or older, you can request an expedited review when you submit the application.<\/p>\n<p>Payments are retroactive to the application date, which means if your parent is approved he or she will get a lump-sum payment covering the application-to-approval date range, followed by monthly payments.<\/p>\n<p>Possible changes in 2017 may <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcknightsseniorliving.com\/marketplace-columns\/veterans-aa-pension-eligibility-requirements-expected-to-change\/article\/571927\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">reduce the number of veterans who qualify<\/a><\/strong> for the program by looking at the applicant\u2019s financial history for the most recent three years instead of the past year only. Contact the VA at (877) 222-VETS to get the most up to date information on these proposed changes, and visit <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.veteranaid.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">VeteranAid.org<\/a><\/strong> for details on the application process.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &amp; Attendance Pension? If your parent is a veteran or the widowed spouse of one, he or she may be eligible for a VA benefit program to help pay for care. The Aid &amp; Attendance pension is for qualified veterans and spouses who need daily care and meet certain financial and military-service [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2198,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[200,2,414],"tags":[287,121,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-11194","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-families-caregivers","7":"category-senior-living","8":"category-veterans","9":"tag-financial-assistance","10":"tag-senior-care","11":"tag-veterans"},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &amp; Attendance Pension? - SeniorAdvisor.com Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Does Your Parent Qualify For the VA Aid &amp; Attendance Pension? 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