There are alot of veteran perks and families but not easy to go alone acquiring them I've been sevice connected for 8 years My county rep was there and without him i would have failed.
best advice is to ask veteran friends who to see and stick with it.The VA today boots mant claims like SS does on the first try.You have to appeal and you will get paid from when claim was started.Appeals take time but they do work.If you don't appeal in their time allowed you lose and no back pay.
Today the Trump VA is a hostile agency for many vets The care at their NH is poor.Over 40% homes are bottom rated.
Call your senators and give them a earful they need to hear our complaints

How does a veteran of the Viet Nam war get checked for agent orange . my husband has Progressive super nucular palsy sugar diabetes high blood pressure how can he be checked

we need hel our roof is in a deplorable state leaking in the house our wheel chair ramp is falling apart and with what little money we get from SS there is none left for anything I just dont know where to turn my husband was in the veit nam war he is dying with PSP. I just dont know what to do I too am unable to walk like I use to but do the best I can for him as well as my daughter who just lost her husband who also was a Vietnam vet .

caring for disabled partner with many health issues. He would bein a nsg. home if I didnt care for him. How can I get paid as his caregiver as I cant work outside of the home as he cant be left for long periods oftime

What if they own a home out right. Do they get VA benefits or do they have use all their assets first?

My father is 95 years old and served in the army aircorp from 1942 to 1946. He was not sent overseas but served in the US. He was injured by a military vehicle while on base in formation and sustained a facial injury which knocked his front teeth out as well as a broken leg. He has been wearing a partial for his front teeth but recently broke the "anchor" tooth holding the bridge on. Would he be eligible for dental benefits at a local dentist. At 95 he doesn't travel much and his vision is also gone. Thank you.

My husband was in the army during the Korean War. He now has multiply myeloma . We have used up our savings and I had to quit my part time job to care for him. We applied for help and were denied. My husband is 86 and I am 79. If we don't qualify who does?

Sounds wonderful. Sadly if a vet needs any of these programs they will never rec help in under a full year. Majority are turned down and far too many die whi,e waiting. Our elder veterans need the same home care Stipend the VA pays for IRAQ AFGHAN Vets for wives or other family to provide care. They receive up to $2977 mo to watch a vet w a PTSD claim. Seems our elder veterans deserve the same equal home care.

Daughter of a Korean Veteran. VA healthcare in Louisville, KY proved to be in the category of the "worst of the worst". My father was so devoted to this country and so in love with all that it represented to him, his faith was in the VA Medical professionals. What a disgrace these so called medical professionals turned out to be.

Husband is a Berlin Crisis veteran and was immediately denied any VA assistance due to income.

So bottom line for this family regarding the VA is we will never support any solicitations or request for support. So many unanswered questions and concerns.

Having a lot of problems getting home care benefits for a Korean War vet, a lot I think is bs. They say they had a fire and the record's were destroyed . They want some one who served with him to write a letter that they served with him. He's 89 year's old with dementia and can't remember anyone's name can't believe they didn't have backup record's of some kind.

Hello. I am an active 57 year old woman living on ssdi. I hope to move from Manchester, NH to Maine to be in a tight knit, community oriented area with also little crime or a major drug problem. I love to be social and believe I could feel less alone if I was emmersed in community activities and maybe even meet a significant other. People in Maine are nicer and more laid back. I work at Hannafords and notice just how rude, obese, and disconnected Manchester is. I do not have a car and I can stand in a cross walk all day and no one would stop to let you cross and busses fly past you. Maine's cost of living is lower and apartments are much cheaper. I can find an apartment there on the ocean coast line with all utilities included alot less than I pay for my 1 bedroom pit here. My children say I will bring my problems with me. I know moving is stressful and I will need to make an active effort to become a part if a community. I only see my grandchildren once or twice a month because my children are always busy. If I move I will be 4 hours away. It is my dream to feel part of a community with a purpose and not depressed because I feel alone even though my grandchildren and children live close to me. Thank you.

My Brothers Keeper...
From the circumstances you described I believe a strong case could be made for a Compensation claim. If he has been denied a Compensation claim there are plenty of aggressive VA accredited attorneys and VA accredited claims agents that will pursue his case.
Also, under what is known as the "Nehmer Ruling" there are quite a few "presumptive" conditions where the VA will almost automatically grant a Compensation award to Vietnam era vets with "boots on the ground" as a result of Agent Orange exposure (also applies to many sailors and airmen).
You can do a search for "Nehmer presumptive conditions" and you will find many resources.
If Nehmer does not apply, pursing the claim based on his other conditions may still be worthwhile as some claims are retroactive.

dmalves....
To receive VA Improved Pension with Aid and Attendance which is the program I am sure your fellow residents are speaking of, your husband would have had to have served at least 90 continuous day of active service one day of which during a "time of war" as determined by Congress.
Unfortunately, from what you have stated it does not appear he would be eligible for this benefit as what you are describing is not active service during wartime.
National Guard, Reserve duty, and training duty do not constitute active service. You may wish to review your husband's discharge record to be sure he did or did not meet the service requirement.

avcidy....
There are to cash benefits provided by the Veterans Benefit Administration: Improved Pension and Compensation. Both plans offer an increased benefit for "Aid and Attendance".
You cannot receive Pension and Compensation at the same time but you can choose the higher of the two.
DIC is a compensation program and you may indeed qualify for a higher benefit. I suggest contacting a County Veteran Services Organization for free assistance with this matter or, if your DIC case was handled by an attorney or accredited agent you may wish to contact them for more information.

I think it okay for some veterans why i say that is because my brother was in the vietnam conflict he has injuries from the been there he cannot hear in both ears.the VA acknowleged his health but keep denieing his pension and will not give him his benefits or service connected he is now bed bound he cannot do nothing for himself.He had a stroke while in VA hospital care as well as alzheimer's deceased.

My husband was in the National Guard and The Reserves during the Korean Conflict. He served 8 years and was given an honorable discharge in 1962. During this time frame he was called to go to Berlin but got a deferment due to being a caregiver for his father who was ill. He was activated by the State of Massachusetts in response to a natural disaster, a hurricane in 1958.
We are living in the Atria Senior Facility in Paradise, CA which is a facility for people who can live independently but need assistance with daily living needs. The facility houses people for Memory Care.
My husband is now 80 years old, has had a major stroke and 3 heart events. We are both diabetic and I, his wife, has Thyroid Cancer and many other issues needing help with.
One of the other couples living next door to us asked us if we received any VA benefits and we said we were not sure and that it seemed very complicated.
So if my husband qualifies, then his benefits, if any, would be paid by the State of Mass.
I look forward to your comments before delving deeper into qualifications.

I'M STILL TRYING TO GET A STRAIGHT ANSWER RE QUESTION....CAN I COLLECT AID & ASSISTANCE IF I RECEIVE DIC ....VETERANS COMP. BECAUSE I;M A WIDOW OF A %100 VETERAN ? SEEMS THERE MAY BE A LIMIT ON YEARLY INCOME.....THANKS FOR ANY REAL & SITES i CAN VISIT TO BE SURE OF A CORRECT ANSWER

Yes. It's well advertised and it sounds good on paper. Yes, we applied. I don't know of anyone more deserving than my Dad -- a diabled WW2 Vet who served (and survived) duty in Korea, Japan, and the Phillipines. We got nothing. He's gone now. My Mom is his surviving widow and IAW the "rules", we can't apply for her benefit until ONE YEAR after he passed -- if she makes it that long! What a joke! They dangle a carrot stick and make it IMPOSSIBLE to get the benefit with all the hoops that one has to jump through. And we desperately needed the benefit... and could still use the benefit now for my Mom who is 90 years old and disabled. She was married to him 61 years.

Ferris1, I cannot find the reference post you mentioned about the 'death benefit' but, since I am involved in this for my Mom, now that Dad has passed away, I am wondering if someone called it a 'death benefit' when what they really meant was that the spouse of a deceased veteran who served in a war, is all entitled to the Aid and Attendance that this article is talking about....but, obviously, not until the spouse has died, unless both are ill or unable to care for themselves at the same time, while both are alive. My Dad was eligible but, the Tucson office told us straight out that even though he was WWII and over 90, which placed him at the top of the list, the VA was so backlogged with paperwork, that they would never get to him before he died.....so we had to go the Medicaid (Altecs) route for him, since he had to be placed into Memory Care. I am hoping we can now get it for Mom, since she is diagnosed with Alzheimer's now herself, and is home with 6 hr/day of caregivers and running out of her half of the money. We will soon have to place her, and sell the home. I do have an eldercare lawyer, and he and I need to get together to come up with the plan. I am thinking of applying from up here in the White Mountains, thinking they may have less of a backlog up here than down in the big cities?? Anyhow...just thinking this is what the person meant by 'death benefit'.....

I was told that my mom may qualify for VA benefits, but she has to move into an assisted living facility first, pay out of pocket then perhaps she's going to qualify. How can they expect her to possibly exhaust her life's savings in hopes of receiving retro payments?

I am in the process of applying for A&A for my mother who is a surviving spouse of a WWII veteran. My questions is: I understand that her residence is exempt, but surrounding her residence is approximately 68 acres of land. This land is landlocked by 8 landowners so except for selling off the timber on the land these 68 acres of land cannot be sold as they are landlocked. Will her claim be denied because of this? Thanks in advance of any assistance.

I looked into getting help a few years ago. My Dad was in the navy during WW 2. He was also injured. Sadly Mom makes a small amount over the yearly income cap. I don't charge her, but if she were in assisted living she would have more than qualified. I just wanted to have someone so I could take a break on occasion. God bless our vets.

As the spouse of a three world war veteran, I don't know what she means by "Death Benefit". If the veteran paid into the insurance policy while he was on active duty, then when he dies the surviving spouse receives "Survivor Benefit Plan" benefits which are 55% of the income at the time of death, and has nothing to do with financial need. Ferris1

Some Adult Day Centers (ours in Portage County, WI) have been approved to receive payments from the VA so that qualifying veterans can participate. Just need to keep promoting this benefit!

I recently did a post on applying for va A&,A benefits for my mom layed out all the steps we took and recieved first payment in 3 months. Palcaregivers is were i did my post. Hope it helps others get the aid they need and deserve.

Interesting article

There are things I didn't know. thank u

I am very upset with the VA right now. My mother was diagnosed with dementia in Oct 2005 after I started noticing a decline in her activities in everyday living. She was in 6 car accidents and paid cash to victims, she was fighting at the senior centers, eating spoiled food, not keeping house clean, wandering on the expressway, leaving pots on the stove, etc. The social worker at the county hospital where I worked for 8 years advised me of resources. VA being one. My father gave 29.8 years of his life to the US Army and retired in 1976. The social worker gave me the necessary paperwork to send to VA. I sent the letter she wrote and the documents the physician wrote. After numerous phone calls and written correspondence from myself to VA. with no response and my mother's condition worsening I was leaving work everyday and I had what I think was a nervous breakdown and I had to resign from the county hospital where I had no intention of ever quitting after my 8 years vested in July 2006. My mother was banned from most of the senior centers in our area so I took on 24hr care for my mother. That was 8 years ago. My father died of a service connected illness in which he couldn't get no help from VA for his medical problems. Before my father died he filed a claim for service connected illness and the VA threw it away. At least that's what I was told. That is a slap in the face. I re-filed the claim after my father passed away and my mother received his pension or DIC. Now the problem I'm having is why did I JUST receive a letter from VA dated June 11, 2014 stating that the evidence shows that my mother is not competent and needs someone to look after her affairs. I feel so upset, hurt, and disgusted. I have been literally begging for help. I am so tired. 24 hr care is so hard to do alone. I have no other family and now I have no friends. I have no life or help, I lost all of my benefits and pension. I work 24 hours a day with hardly no sleep. I love my mother and I am going to be here for her until she passes (if I don't go first). It's been a long road and my mom is in her last stage of this awful disease that robs you and your and families life, and now they want to help or at least they acknowledge that my mother needs help. I have POA as a civilian. The social worker stated that I wanted to be her fiduciary in 2005......why didn't I receive help then?

I know this is an older question, but just saw the most recent comment. You shouldn't pay anyone to help with this. I did this for mom, it took over a year for it come through and they kept sending things back to me, but she is now getting $1300 per month to help with nursing home expenses. They didn't give her any backpay, I didn't argue.

They have to spend their monthly income (social security, pensions, etc... ) in eligible medical expenses before the VA will pay and you need proof of everything. Eligible would be health insurance, direct care (doctor has to say it's needed), medicine. They will pay a child, sibling, etc... but they have to be paid and that could affect the caregiver's taxes.

You can get the forms online, I heard some veteran groups will help you, but I did mom's myself. You will need evidence of vet's service, marriage license (if it is for the surviving spouse). There is a limit on how much the person applying can have as assets, mom was turned down at first. I thought I should apply early since it took time, but they refused her and I had to reapply. I heard the amount is $80,000 and it is up to the person processing the claim. Mom's elder law attorney said I would never get it, so I emailed him first when it came through. They will consistently send forms back to you. If you get forms with no date range, call them and ask for the date range. I assumed a calendar year and they kicked it out and it delayed hers three months.

great info. Btw I had consults with 2 elder law lawyers here in MD. One said their fee is $9K and the other saud $12K to help me negotiate the path to get either VA or Medicaid help without losing everything we have in assets. Are such high fees usual?