Making a mistake on an application doesn’t seem like the most treacherous thing in the world, but when an aging veteran has a need for home care support but can’t afford it, and if they would qualify for the Aid and Attendance Benefit, it can be extremely frustrating to be denied.

Aging Veterans Care: Aid And Attendance Benefit Application Mistakes

Aging Veterans Care: Aid And Attendance Benefit Application Mistakes

 

They know they should be approved.

This veteran and his or her family are completely convinced, having reviewed all of the requirements, that they will be granted and approved for the Aid and Attendance Benefit, but they were denied. Once a veteran is denied, he or she will have to go through an appeals process and that can take years. In the meantime, what are they going to do?

If they can’t afford a home care aide, they might have to rely on friends, family, or find a way to scrape enough money together to pay for it themselves.

There are a few reasons why veterans might be denied this and other pensions because of mistakes they make on their application. Some of these mistakes could be deliberate, an effort to circumvent the requirements, while others could simply be errors in judgment.

 

Potential Mistake #1: Lying about their service.

For the Aid and Attendance Benefit, veterans need to have served at least one day of their active duty service during a time of official combat, as defined by Congress. If they fudge the numbers just a little bit, let’s say by one week or a day, they might hope nobody checks to see when they actually enlisted, but the approval committee will.

If they lie about their service, that is an egregious mistake to make.

 

Potential Mistake #2: They misrepresent their income and assets.

Currently, the combined income and asset threshold limit for the Aid and Attendance Benefit is $119,000. Some veterans will pay thousands upon thousands of dollars to a financial consultant or firm to move assets around in an effort to hide them from the VA.

If the approval committee or individual finds out they took these actions or underestimated their income and assets, they could be denied.

 

Potential Mistake #3: A VA representative could make the mistake.

If somebody asked for help from one of their VA reps, there’s no guarantee that representative will get everything right. That mistake could cost a veteran approval and years going through the appeals process to get it straightened out.

Before submitting an application, a veteran should be sure all information is accurate, honest, and verifiable and if they know they will be approved, there should be no problem.

 

If you or a loved one are considering aging veterans care, please contact the friendly staff at Veterans Care Coordination™.  Call today: 1-855-380-4400

 

Posted in Aging Veterans Care, Aid and Attendance

About Kyle Laramie, Founder & CEO

Kyle founded Veterans Care Coordination in April 2011. As its founder and CEO of VCC, Kyle is driven by the memory of his grandfather, a World War II Veteran who unnecessarily missed out on essential VA benefits because Kyle’s family wasn’t aware of available opportunities. In recognition of his impact in leadership, Kyle was named to the St. Louis Business Journal’s prestigious “40 Under 40” list and St. Louis Small Business Monthly’s “100 St. Louisans to Know” in 2014. VCC was named a St. Louis Small Business Monthly “Top 20” small business and a finalist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch Top Workplace (2015-2022), St. Louis Business Journal Best Place to Work (2019 & 2022), and the Arcus Awards (2014). The team has served more than 14,000 Veteran clients and their families. Kyle frequently speaks on Veterans’ benefits, addressing conferences such as the Home Care Association of America and Decision Health. He is passionate about giving back and has built a charitable-minded organization that supports various philanthropic efforts.