Common Questions About Aid and Attendance Benefit Funds

VA Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit: Common Questions About Aid and Attendance Benefit Funds

The Aid and Attendance Benefit can be a wonderful asset to qualifying veterans and their spouses or widows. This particular pension was established after World War I. Its initial purpose was to assist returning soldiers who had been injured and disabled in battle.

The pension has expanded over the years and now provides financial support to qualifying veterans who served at least one day of their active duty service during a time of official combat.

Official combat is defined by Congress and basically covers World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. Veterans who served any time during these combat periods need to have served at least 90 days, but it’s two years active duty service for those who served during the Gulf War.

When people begin looking into the Aid and Attendance Benefit, they will likely have questions. Here are some common questions some veterans have about this pension made available through the VA.

Common Question #1: Can it be used for home care?

Yes, that is exactly what it’s designed for. If a veteran or veteran spouse, age 65 or older, has difficulty maintaining their own basic care and can prove that home care support is necessary at this point in his or her life, that’s what this pension was designed to provide support for.

Hiring a home care aide is one of the best options people can choose when they require some assistance around the house. There can be numerous ways to prove that home care is necessary, but a doctor’s recommendation can go a long way to helping with that.

Common Question #2: Can I get home care while I wait for the application to be processed?

Yes, qualifying veterans can certainly go and begin relying on home care aide. The application process can take several months, so a veteran who needs assistance now should contact a home care agency and discuss starting those services.

It’s important that the veteran understands whether or not he or she will actually qualify for this pension based on their time of service, specific need for home care support, and income and asset limits. If they’re confident they will be approved, this pension does offer reimbursement for services provided while the application was pending.

Common Question #3: How long does the approval process take?

It can take many months, almost up to a year, for some veterans to receive approval for this pension. That is just one reason why Veterans Care Coordination holds value.

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

About Kyle Laramie, Founder & CEO

Kyle founded Veterans Care Coordination in April 2011. As owner 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. 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. Under his leadership, VCC has become one of the fastest growing senior service companies in the United States. VCC was named a St. Louis Small Business Monthly “Top 20” small business and has been named a finalist for the St. Louis Post Dispatch Top Workplace (2015-2019), St. Louis Business Journal Best Place to Work (2019), and the Arcus Awards (2014). To date, the team has served more than 10,000 clients in 45 states. Kyle is a frequent speaker on the topic of 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 a wide variety of philanthropic efforts through monthly campaigns.