How long does the approval process take for VA Aid & Attendance Benefits?

Reverseroles,

I have been looking into this..

I plan to call a lawyer I know that does pro bono work for Vietnam Vets in his county in another state, as his father died waiting for benefits many years ago, and this is what led him to be a lawyer and working with Vietnam Vets.

Yes, daycare is paid for by the VA, he is 100% service connected Permanent and Total.

ALL his health care is at the VA and we pay nothing, including day care and respite.. today we picked up his new mobility scooter, and the VA paid for that and the lift, receiver that the car needed.

In the end, A&A is generally for non service connected disabilities for veterans or their surviving spouse on limited incomes. From what I read, I think what we get may qualify more under housebound then A&A, I know that he qualified for both from his original rating.


Post 9/11 veteran caregivers DO get paid from the VA without a lot of paperwork and hassles, when they started that program I felt it was unfair for older vets, as my hubby is Vietnam and there are many Korea and WWII vets that could use more help with caregivers.

Since I don't spend any of my own money, I don't have income and I am supported by hubby with his VA and SS benefits, I am guessing they feel I wont qualify for anymore..

I will see what I can find out this coming week...

We have similar groups locally that help vets and elders... I just never thought about looking into getting any more..

I recently was told by someone that works the VA, that not all programs are the same in every VA district, she felt highly disappointed at what few programs are offered here for veterans compared to other parts of the country where she worked.. they are all VA, but divided into sections and some have more funds for programs then others.

hope22 usfhp military insurance is for surviving spouse . you do need medicare part A & B but usfhp is primary..in fact on the insurance card it states same. my husband was 100 & disabled and had 20 yrs in navy reserves with a 20 yr. retirement letter. I'm sure he would have been well covered. He was an E-7 and passed in 1981. luck to you.......

The application can average 12 months to process, however as an accredited agent, I do recommend that any Veteran or widowed spouse work with an accredited agent only in order to process their claims in the most time effective manner.

Two questions:
1) Is an original copy of my father's discharge papers necessary to get VA benefits for my mother? Is there any chance that there are records somewhere?
2) Should we wait until my mom's LTC runs out before applying - that is, if we can?
Thanks!

I applied for my 89 year old father in April of 2012, still nothing. I sent VA a letter basically begging them to expedite and they responded with a letter basically saying don't call us, we'll call you when we are ready. So, 19 months and counting. This was in Pennsylvania. I called th local VA office and the could not help because I did not apply through the (big mistake), but they did tell me that it is not uncommon to wait 19 months or more, even for widows of veterans who are in need of the aid and attendance. I am so very disappointed in the VA, my father served in WW2, lost a brother in that war, but it means nothing much to them. So good luck to anyone who tries it, I am sorry to report this but it is the sad truth.

ours took over a year if I remember right!

Look at AVA's Website. It gives you an idea of the timeline for receiving VA benefits.

I applied for my mother in September 2012. I had the assistance of a representative of a veteran's non-profit organization (no charge) who helped me navigate the forms. However, it still took 9 months and my mom received her first monthly benefit in May 2013. She did not receive the retroactive pay until November 2013. My mom has Alzheimer's so I had to apply to be appointed as her fiduciary representative and this took extra time. I found the whole process to be extremely frustrating and stressful but am very grateful to have the funds to help pay my mother's care costs--I desperately needed this pension for her.

yes a year and the retro 1yr took another year due to the fiduciary to be set up or it would have been couple months less!

We were unbelievably fortunate to receive the pension in 3 months but unfortunate because they took it away after 8 months saying that we did not deserve it. It was then that I sought the help of the Swain Firm, lawyers who know what they are doing for Vets. The pension has since been reinstated and I can only advise everyone to seek help in obtaining it immediately.

Arianna2, I can't answer your 2nd question but as to question #1, you will need a court-certified copy of the discharge papers. I had the original paper for my dad but he had never gone to the courthouse to get it certified (I was told this was common). I had to go to my local courthouse and get certified copies made. They did not charge anything for this. Hope this helps.

There are agencies (Patriot Angels) who will assist with filing, however be aware they want a $750.00 fee to the attorney who reviews and files. I went directly to the VA to a contact recommended by my dad's ALF here in Florida. He was wonderful: gave me a list of needed docs and I filed quickly, unfortunately I have been waiting to hear for 3 months now (filed in August 2017). They do pay retroactively from the time of filing if approved for the benefit.

We just received approval for Aid and Assistance for mom. I went to our county’s Veteran’s Assistance office, and the man in charge of benefits was a godsend. We filed on September 25 and recieved the approval letter on 11/16. Along with the application, he included a request that they expedite due to mom’s advanced age (she’s 98). There was no fee involved. Check to see if th

there is a local office that can help you. Know that unless they give you financial advice, it is illegal for anyone to charge for helping you file for benefits. Found this out when I went somewhere that was recommended to me. Found out accidentally and was just about to pay. Thank goodness I found the county resource. Good luck!