Are you a war veteran receiving a Veterans Administration Pension? If so, you may not be getting the full benefits offered by the VA.
A little-known program, Aid and Attendance (A&A) benefits, can supplement your existing VA Pension. Living on a fixed income is challenging, especially if you have suffered injury in service to your country, but the Aid and Attendance benefits can help ease the burden.
Like most government aid, there are some fairly stringent requirements to qualify, but ultimately your regional VA office has final say over eligibility. Here are some of the basic guidelines, but exceptions can be made, so ask your regional office about Aid and Attendance benefits. You can find your regional VA office about Aid and Attendance eligibility here.
Aid and Attendance is a supplement to your monthly pension, that is, you only qualify for Aid and Attendance benefits if you qualify for the VA Pension. If you do, and you also fit most of this criteria, you may be eligible for Aid and Attendance.
- Do you need someone to help you perform daily tasks like bathing, eating, dressing or adjusting prosthetic devices?
- Are you permanently bedridden despite finishing any prescribed treatment?
- Are you a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacitation?
- Are you blind or nearly blind?
If any of those descriptions describe your condition as a veteran, and you already qualify for the VA Pension, you may be eligible to receive Aid and Attendance benefits.
To qualify, you must produce evidence indicating a need for the benefits. One of the best ways to show a need for Aid and Attendance benefits is to obtain a physician’s note validating one of the above conditions. The report needs to be in enough detail to show the veteran needs help eating, dressing or performing sanitary functions.
The veteran also must prove that you are confined to your home or the immediately surrounding premises. Also, detail how you get around, where you need to go and what you do on a typical day.
If you can get a note validating your need for Aid and Attendance benefits with all of the above information, you could begin receiving additional fixed income soon.
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