Veterans' Administration Special Pension: Aid and Atte...

Veterans' Administration Special Pension: Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit

The Veterans' Administration offers a Special Pension with Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefit that is largely unknown. This Special Pension (part of the VA Improved Pension program) allows for Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing, undressing or taking care of the needs of nature to receive additional monetary benefits. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisted living facility also qualifies.

This most important benefit is overlooked by many families with Veterans or surviving spouses who need additional monies to help care for ailing parents or loved ones. This is a "pension benefit" and is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation. Most Veterans who are in need of assistance qualify for this pension. Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, nursing home or assisted living facility. A Veteran is eligible for up to $1,632 per month, while a surviving spouse is eligible for up to $1,055 per month. A couple is eligible for up to $1,949 per month*.

The Aid and Attendance Benefit is considered to be the third tier of a VA program called Improved Pension. The other two tiers are Basic and Housebound. Each tier has its own level of benefits and qualifications. While the objective of this site is to disseminate information about the Aid and Attendance Benefit, we urge you to read an important document prepared by the American Veterans Institute that clearly explains the Improved Pension program, its levels of benefits and the qualifications for each. If you or your loved one does not qualify for Aid and Attendance, you may want to check to see if you qualify for another level of the Pension.

Please browse this site using the menu on the left to learn more about the Aid & Attendance Special Pension, Eligibility Requirements, How to Apply, What to Expect and Resources to help you with this critical benefit. Also, please visit the Sponsors of this site who have made it possible to disseminate this information to veterans and their families.

We highly recommend you visit the One Experience page of this site for critical information on this process.

HELPFUL ARTICLES

* Support H.R. 4914
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/attorney.pdf

* Aid & Attendance
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/AA.pdf

* Aid & Attendance 2
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/AA2.pdf

* Army Holds Down Disability Ratings to Save Money
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/army_holding_down_disability_ratings.pdf

* VA Admits to Poor Training of Its Employees
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/VA_testing.pdf

* The Frustratingly Slow Veterans Benefits Process Appears Impervious to Change
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/Hurry_up_and_wait.pdf

* Why Doesn't the VA tell Veterans about their Benefits?
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/why.pdf

* Possible Medical Expenses
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/medical.pdf

* Veterans Fighting for Benefits
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/Veterans_fighting_for_benefits.pdf

* Vets and Widows Miss Out on Pensions
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/missout.pdf

* Two Million Veterans, Widows Miss Out on VA Pensions
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/2million.pdf

* VA Has to Retrain Employees
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/docs/VA_testing.pdf

* Disabled veterans may face skirmishes for some VA benefits (from TampaBay.com/St. Petersburg Times)
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/09/25/news_pf/50plus/Disabled_veterans_may.shtml


THE AID & ATTENDANCE PROGRAM

The Aid and Attendance (A&A) Special Pension provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing and undressing or taking care of the needs of nature. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisting living facility also qualifies.

The A&A Pension can provide up to $1,632 per month to a veteran, $1,055 per month to a surviving spouse, or $1,949 per month to a couple*.

Eligibility must be proven by filing the proper Veterans Application for Pension or Compensation. This application will require a copy of DD-214 (see below for more information) or separation papers, Medical Evaluation from a physician, current medical issues, net worth limitations, and net income, along with out-of-pocket Medical Expenses.

A DD-214 is issued to military members upon separation from active service. DD-214s were issued to separated service members beginning in the 1950's. The term "DD-214" is often used generically to mean "separation papers" or "discharge papers", no matter what form number was used to document active duty military service. If the VA has a copy of a DD-214, it is usually because the veteran attached a copy (or sometimes, the original) to his or her application for disability or education benefits. If you’ve lost your original DD-214 or a copy and you are receiving (or applied for in the past) disability or education benefits from the VA, they may have a copy (or the original, if you gave it to them) on file. At the very least, if you are currently receiving benefits (or did in the past), they should be able to provide a Statement of Service, which can be used instead of a "DD-214".

For more general information about the Aid & Attendance Special Pension, please see VetAssist.org's FAQ.

http://www.vetassist.org/faq.htm


ELIGIBILITY FOR THE AID & ATTENDANCE PENSION

Any War-Time Veteran with 90 days of active duty, 1 day beginning or ending during a period of War, is eligible to apply for the Aid & Attendance Special Pension. A surviving spouse (marriage must have ended due to death of veteran) of a War-Time Veteran may also apply. The individual applying must qualify both medically and financially. To see the periods of war that have been qualified by Congress, Click Here.
http://www.veteranaid.org/docs/Periods_of_War.pdf

To qualify medically, a War-Time Veteran or surviving spouse must need the assistance of another person to perform daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, undressing, taking care of the needs of nature, etc. Being blind or in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity, or residing in an assisted living facility also qualifies.

Eligibility must be proven by filing the proper Veterans Application for Pension or Compensation. This application will require a copy of DD-214 (see below for more information) or separation papers, Medical Evaluation from a physician, current medical issues, net worth limitations, and net income, along with out-of-pocket Medical Expenses.

To qualify financially, an applicant must have less than $80,000 in assets, EXCLUDING their home and vehicles.

For a more detailed list of Eligibility Requirements, please visit VetAssist.org's Eligibility FAQ.

http://www.vetassist.org/faq.htm


HOW TO APPLY FOR THE AID & ATTENDANCE SPECIAL PENSION

There is much information that needs to be gathered and prepared when applying for the Aid & Attendance Special Pension. We have compiled a list of the documents you will need, as well as links to download some of the VA and Government Forms that you will need. While it may seem to be a daunting task, we recommend that you read through this site to better your understanding of the application process to be prepared before you speak with any Veterans' Affairs Office.

See: http://www.veteranaid.org/apply.php