Aid-and-Attendance

Aid and Attendance: Is There a Deadline for Veterans Applying for Home Care Assistance?

For veterans who may need some type of extra care and support at home, some may have difficulty figuring out how they could pay for it. There are certain pensions that can provide financial assistance to qualifying veterans who need home care services. One of them is known as the Aid and Attendance Benefit.

This is a pension program developed by the VA following World War I. Initially it was intended to provide financial assistance for soldiers returning from battle who needed care and support at home. These soldiers may have been physically injured or may have been suffering from what was then referred to as shell shock.

Through the years the term shell shock became post-traumatic stress disorder. Through the years, also, the Aid and Attendance Benefit was expanded to provide financial assistance to veterans of all ages, whether they had been injured or disabled during their time of service or not. The main stipulation was that home care had to be a specific need in order to be considered for this pension.

In order to qualify, what would veterans need?

A veteran would need to have served a minimum of 90 days’ active duty in one of the major branches of the United States military. At least one day of their service needs to have overlapped a time of official combat. That would basically be World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War. If a veteran served any time during the Gulf War, their minimum time of service would typically need to be two years.

They would also need to meet specific income and asset threshold limits in order to qualify.

What about deadlines?

For the Aid and Attendance Benefit, there is no deadline throughout the year to file for this pension. If a veteran is advised by his or her doctor to get home care support or they can prove in some other way that this is necessary, and if they feel they would qualify based on the provisions and their income and assets, they should be encouraged to apply.

It can take many months for approval.

It could take nine months or even longer for veterans to find out whether or not they are approved for this pension. However, Veterans Care Coordination can make it possible to start receiving home care while awaiting approval.

If you or a loved one have the aid and attendance benefit and are interested in home care services, please contact the friendly staff at Veterans Care Coordination™. Call today: 1-855-380-4400

Posted in 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.