Also, if you can locate a local VSO (Veteran Service Organizations) Officer, many of them will know EXACTLY what forms you need, or what department to contact, and if there are VA forms to fill out, they will help fill them out and better than that, they ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHARGE YOU for that service. They are often a GREAT resource and can give advice to maybe streamline the process because the VA has such an incredible wait time because they are so far behind. I have 31 veteran clients, and sometimes it seems near impossible to get through to them, but VSO officers are fantastic at cutting through the VA red tape.
There are so many inaccurate answers on here regarding in-home care. I own an agency, contracted with the VA to provide non-medical in-home care to Veterans. This service is provided as part of the Home and Community Based Services, and does not have war-time, service length requirements that pension and A&A do. To qualify for Home Health Aide/Homemaker service, a Veteran must require assistance with 2 or more of their ADL's, as determined their PCP at the VA. The PCP recommends the Veteran for this service, and it is assigned to an agency like mine. The Home Health Aide service requires that the agency assist the Veteran with Bathing/Showering, and can assist with many other tasks during the allotted time. Please speak to the PCP regarding this service as they determine eligibility.
This is what I found out with my dad. He has lived with me in Georgia for 5 yrs.
Most States have Veteran homes, not federally funded, but state funded. Certain requirements have to be met, such as living in state for x amount of years, etc. Residents can have assets. These homes still cost, but are reasonable, $500-$800 a month. Social Security can be increased by $50-$70 a month if a veteran served during certain time periods. You have initiate this, SS will not. Veterans can qualify for a few hours for someone from a VA approved agency to help bath, feed, clean, etc. If a VA approved agency in area agrees, family member can be employed & be paid the approved hours. The VA has a nursing home in the VA Hospital, but, there may be a wait time for an open bed. Often, the hospitals are too far for family members to be able to visit daily. The Aid in Attending is available after meeting requirements of time period served, % of disability, etc.
You will get as many answers from the VA as there are people working there. I went to my local VA and was told my client did not qualify. That person was incorrect. Under a program called Veteran Directed Program, a person will indeed qualify for in-home care no matter what the assets are. My client is about to be approved for this program and he has lots of assets. But it was a fight.
Hello. I happened upon your post and your client sounds very closely related to my parent’s situation in that my Dad isn’t exactly broke like many here, but the $$ spent monthly on independent caregivers are hurting his bottom line greatly. Could you please advise me on your findings? Your post is truly the only one I’ve found that relates to my Mom’s situation. She’s 80, he’s 85 and she can’t help him 24/7 plus needs to take care of errands outside the home.
I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
We looked into this for my dad earlier in the year but really the only way was if you qualified for Aid and Attendance, and it seemed to be hard to be under the required asset limits though reading below that has changed.
When my dad went on hospice, he did qualify for free SNF at a private SNF with a VA contract which was a blessing as everyone knows SNF can be terribly expensive.
All that said, I am not sure just because our parents were veterans, and bless them all, especially on this day (we are going to my dads grave today to put a flag on) EVERYTHING should be free. My dad had no war related disabilities so he didn't qualify for a lot, but did get things along the way but you need to be proactive with the VA. My experience was the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing there, though of course, there were good people there.
There are guidelines to be eligible for assistance. My father served right after WWII and just before the Korean War (1948-1950). No assistance for him at all since he didn't serve at least 1 day in an active war. This isn't right or fair. Not sure where to turn now.
Please check out Grandma1954's answer. She gives some good advice. And please, NEVER give up looking! I know it's hard, but that's the silliness we're in right now. Anyone who has served should have some level of help. Prayers to you!
It depends. On a lot of factors. Contact the Veterans Commission Office in your area or the VA and they can determine what is available. The amount of help is largely determined by, when and where the person served, the level of disability and if the disability is "a Service Connected Disability". Service records will answer these questions.
My Husband was a Vietnam era Veteran but was not stationed in Vietnam so he did not have a "service connected disability" but we were eligible for in home help a certain number of hours per year. (I do not recall now how many hours that was) I did find out about a program called "VIP" and through that program he was evaluated and we were assigned a budget and from that I was able to hire caregivers. But even without the hours of help or the VIP program I was able to get supplies the VA did provide incontinent supplies and medication (I was taking him to the VA for his Doctors at that point as well)
So bottom line...Call and ask. Call either the VA of the Veterans Commission Office. Neither of these will charge you anything to give you the information. (there are people that will get you the same information and or tell you they can help you file paperwork but they charge for the service) By the way the VA will also have support groups that may help you as well.
I totally agree with this, you do not have to have a service disability, but you do need to "get into the system", which means being seen by a VA doctor and assigned a VA social worker. Once you are signed into the system, your social worker can help you work through what you are/aren't eligible for. Another thing, is that whatever home care service you want to use has to be an approved provider with the VA. Not all are. Most in home care providers have their own social worker on staff, and if they are a preferred provider, that person can help you work through the VA process as well. Good luck, I certainly agree with you that after serving our country, the least we can do is take care of our Vets. (my Gpa, my Dad, my Husband, and my Son are all vets)
AS of 10.18.18 The financial eligibility rules have changed, Income and financial assets together cannot total over approximately $123,000, minus care expenses. Applying with more will result in a Penalty.
There is a 3-year look-back, Advance planning that protects estate, eliminates probate,defines beneficiaries is a good idea. The home property if under 2 acres is exempt. If you live in Georgia private message me.
My Dad is a WWII Vet. Last year I had someone complete the aid and attendance forms while I got the back up information - bank statements, income information, medical and living expenses. At 90 or older you are a priority for aid and attendance so large print in red on blank sheets were inserted in the application packet so they would not miss. Dad was approved and this $ is for the family member or anyone care giving. Only took 3 months for approval. There has to be a fiduciary set up and approved by the VA - which is me the daughter. There has been an increase but around $1800 max per month. PLUS Dad is receiving up to 10 per week from a contracted home care company = Home Instead - they are there to assist with Assistance with Daily Living Tasks. Dad is mobile with dementia so the main focus is having him eat and drink. Companies have 2 to 3 hour minimum hour visits to equal the 10 hours. A social worker at the VA gets this set up (free benefit). I had to go through several workers with the 1st company and switched to another and this one is working out. The VA contracts with several companies. We live in Maryland. Department of the aging in our county was also helpful to connect with who could help with the forms.
True, and not true here is what happened to my Dad WW2 vet after applying which I did on my own...for dad at 96yr,soI cannot emphasize how helpful this was albeit too late in finding out nonetheless I applied as I had just received dads medical records from his retiring Doctor, so when I called the Va for the first time, the Va told me about A&A ,frail,blindhomeboundincontinentstory being taken care of by his son my brother who looked after Mother and Dad for at least ten years...……….we knew nothing about any help sorry to say some of this was not wanting any interference in the home but after emergency death of son...……..anyway the A&A application was approved,via certified mail, with medical records as DAD had a subarachnoid hemmorage which greatly incap. him five years earlier it would have been nice if the Rehab Center had suggested this A&A five years earlier unbeknownst to us.we were uninformed or are these well kept secrets.Elder Lawyers,kn0w about theA&A its been around for years to help low income Vets.....so we received approval for 950.00 the lowest level...with out a lawyer or va representative, the rating is put together in the Phil, with different criteria...based on many things anyway dad got this in 2 mos which is excellent and a retroactive one year also which paid for his funeral, not very much compared to the other stories here , Dad should have been highest level....so my point is Dad received this for three years until the death of caretaker son and then I had to put him in a NH..they used all the A&A,plus his social coming to 1850.00, I did not know of any help but they do have Home care for the Vets I belive you will have a copay..u can use the A&A money. So Dad passed in 41/2 mos. I gave them dads money appro. 10,000 of his money, also the Medicaid was not approved for first two mos. after Medicare stopped 20 days without a supplement you pay full daily rate 161.00 (SCAM)...Yesterday I went by NH and was informed I owed 6 or 7 thousand for the first 2 mos of no Medicare and Medicaid tookt2mos of approval,and finally the coup de grace...……….Medicaid letter arrived for MERP which is Medicaid Estate Recovery for 13,000...…….. making this seemingly simple 41/2 mos of a low income senior...another 20,000 to me...now I haven't made phone calls about this to the OMBUDSMAN whichu should and just apply online print out the Vet.apps or go by the VA...good luck dads took 2 mos to approve at a low rate but was very helpful to the house with 2 very low social security checks only...………….we did not have any insurance or retirement funds here...my opinion is some of this is a scam...…...meaning the NH below par is overpriced at 7.5 thousand!!!!!!!low staff where does the money go... do yourself a favor and rent a nbice apt for 1500.00 and beg borrow steal a person before u go into these homes unless you have funds...………….and WHY DID I APPLY FOR MEDICAID IN THE FIRST PLACE IF THEY WANT THEIR MONEY...……..????THE NURSING HOME SHOULD JUST BILL YOU.. ANYWAY I WENT OFF TOPIC...the va will help just call them and first see if your elder vet qualifies you have to be preety seriously ill meaning the five ADL's cannot be taken care of ……………………………...and if u are blind as well...……..or try the VA home for the vets it depends on your circumstances,,and location but THEY WERE GREAT, THE ONLY PAYING A FAMILY MEMBER TO CARE FOR A VET AT HOME AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PAY AND I WOULD HURRY TO APPLY AS THEY ARE DOING A LOOKBACK AND DONALD TRUM IS NMESSING WITH THE VA HE WANT TO PRIVATIZE WHICH MAY MAKE THIS PAID CARETAKER SERVICE LIKE MEDICAID..O YES YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE 123,000 IN THE BANK,MEDICAID ONLY 2000.00 DAD HAD NO CASH IN THE BANK AND I STILL VERY HIGH BILLS..BUT im off to the Ombudsman today..its really cheaper to keep your Dad in the home...……..NH is not free..
I allowed my husband to go to a non- VA inpatient rehab facility that was only 15 mins from my son’s home so I could stay there often rather than make the 45 min. drive home.Our nearest VA is 65 miles away & they had no open beds.I couldn’t agree to have him that far away from me ! Driving is very difficult with my bad back.I’ve spoken to everyone from the White House VA Rep to the Asst.Chief of Medicine at our V.A. & he told me outright that they will not pay any inpatient bills & he should’ve been admitted to a VA facility.There are none near us ! I can’t imagine that they would pay for a non- VA nursing home.Even the VA Choice plan is a joke ! You cannot choose your own MD ! They choose one who they have a contract with ! My husband had a UTI & since they don’t have a Urologist on staff, they chose a Urologist for us...an hour away ! Sorry I went off topic but I’m pretty angry right now.My husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s July 2017 & I’m losing him more each day.I can’t imagine placing him in our VA nursing home 65 miles away ! We live in the mountains & last winter left us without power for 9 days during that storm.I feel hopeless even though I’ve always been a very strong woman.We were a team & I’m losing my teammate.
They will pay for a nursing home, if it is a VA approved provider, which there may not be in all areas. The closest one to where I live is 30 miles away, which isn't much if you can drive. A lot of elderly spouses can't drive, so it can be a hardship. After that one, it's over an hour drive to the next one, so we are lucky.
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many of them will know EXACTLY what forms you need, or what department
to contact, and if there are VA forms to fill out, they will help fill them out and
better than that, they ARE NOT ALLOWED TO CHARGE YOU for that service.
They are often a GREAT resource and can give advice to maybe streamline the
process because the VA has such an incredible wait time because they are so far
behind. I have 31 veteran clients, and sometimes it seems near impossible to get
through to them, but VSO officers are fantastic at cutting through the VA red
tape.
Most States have Veteran homes, not federally funded, but state funded. Certain requirements have to be met, such as living in state for x amount of years, etc. Residents can have assets. These homes still cost, but are reasonable, $500-$800 a month.
Social Security can be increased by $50-$70 a month if a veteran served during certain time periods. You have initiate this, SS will not.
Veterans can qualify for a few hours for someone from a VA approved agency to help bath, feed, clean, etc. If a VA approved agency in area agrees, family member can be employed & be paid the approved hours.
The VA has a nursing home in the VA Hospital, but, there may be a wait time for an open bed. Often, the hospitals are too far for family members to be able to visit daily.
The Aid in Attending is available after meeting requirements of time period served, % of disability, etc.
My client is about to be approved for this program and he has lots of assets. But it was a fight.
I would greatly appreciate any advice you could give me. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.
-Elizabeth
When my dad went on hospice, he did qualify for free SNF at a private SNF with a VA contract which was a blessing as everyone knows SNF can be terribly expensive.
All that said, I am not sure just because our parents were veterans, and bless them all, especially on this day (we are going to my dads grave today to put a flag on) EVERYTHING should be free. My dad had no war related disabilities so he didn't qualify for a lot, but did get things along the way but you need to be proactive with the VA. My experience was the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing there, though of course, there were good people there.
Contact the Veterans Commission Office in your area or the VA and they can determine what is available.
The amount of help is largely determined by, when and where the person served, the level of disability and if the disability is "a Service Connected Disability". Service records will answer these questions.
My Husband was a Vietnam era Veteran but was not stationed in Vietnam so he did not have a "service connected disability" but we were eligible for in home help a certain number of hours per year. (I do not recall now how many hours that was) I did find out about a program called "VIP" and through that program he was evaluated and we were assigned a budget and from that I was able to hire caregivers.
But even without the hours of help or the VIP program I was able to get supplies the VA did provide incontinent supplies and medication (I was taking him to the VA for his Doctors at that point as well)
So bottom line...Call and ask. Call either the VA of the Veterans Commission Office. Neither of these will charge you anything to give you the information. (there are people that will get you the same information and or tell you they can help you file paperwork but they charge for the service)
By the way the VA will also have support groups that may help you as well.
There is a 3-year look-back, Advance planning that protects estate, eliminates probate,defines beneficiaries is a good idea. The home property if under 2 acres is exempt. If you live in Georgia private message me.
https://www.agingcare.com/articles/va-aid-attendance-new-eligibility-rules-177294.htm
Like everything else, each person's situation is different.
I applied as I had just received dads medical records from his retiring
Doctor, so when I called the Va for the first time, the Va told me about A&A ,frail,blindhomeboundincontinentstory being taken care of by his son my brother who looked after Mother and Dad for at least ten years...……….we knew nothing about any help sorry to say some of this was not wanting any interference in the home but after emergency death of son...……..anyway the A&A application was approved,via certified mail,
with medical records as DAD had a subarachnoid hemmorage which greatly incap. him five years earlier it would have been nice if the Rehab
Center had suggested this A&A five years earlier unbeknownst to us.we were
uninformed or are these well kept secrets.Elder Lawyers,kn0w about theA&A its been around for years to help low income Vets.....so
we received approval for 950.00 the lowest level...with out a lawyer or
va representative, the rating is put together in the Phil, with different criteria...based on many things anyway dad got this in 2 mos which is excellent and a retroactive one year also which paid for his funeral,
not very much compared to the other stories here , Dad should have been highest level....so my point is Dad received this for three years until the
death of caretaker son and then I had to put him in a NH..they used all the A&A,plus his social coming to 1850.00, I did not know of any help but they do have Home care for the Vets I belive you will have a copay..u can use the A&A money. So Dad passed in 41/2 mos. I gave them dads money appro. 10,000 of his money, also the Medicaid was not approved for first two mos. after Medicare stopped 20 days without a supplement you pay full daily rate 161.00 (SCAM)...Yesterday I went by NH and was informed I owed 6 or 7 thousand for the first 2 mos of no Medicare and Medicaid tookt2mos of approval,and finally the coup de grace...……….Medicaid
letter arrived for MERP which is Medicaid Estate Recovery for 13,000...……..
making this seemingly simple 41/2 mos of a low income senior...another 20,000 to me...now I haven't made phone calls about this to the OMBUDSMAN whichu should and just apply online print out the Vet.apps or go by the VA...good luck dads took 2 mos to approve at a low rate
but was very helpful to the house with 2 very low social security checks only...………….we did not have any insurance or retirement funds here...my opinion is some of this is a scam...…...meaning the NH below par is overpriced at 7.5 thousand!!!!!!!low staff where does the money go...
do yourself a favor and rent a nbice apt for 1500.00 and beg borrow steal
a person before u go into these homes unless you have funds...………….and WHY DID I APPLY FOR MEDICAID IN THE FIRST PLACE IF THEY WANT THEIR MONEY...……..????THE NURSING HOME SHOULD JUST BILL YOU..
ANYWAY I WENT OFF TOPIC...the va will help just call them and first see if your elder vet qualifies you have to be preety seriously ill meaning the five ADL's cannot be taken care of ……………………………...and if u are blind as
well...……..or try the VA home for the vets it depends on your circumstances,,and location but THEY WERE GREAT, THE ONLY PAYING A FAMILY MEMBER TO CARE FOR A VET AT HOME AS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT PAY AND I WOULD HURRY TO APPLY AS
THEY ARE DOING A LOOKBACK AND DONALD TRUM IS NMESSING WITH THE VA HE WANT TO PRIVATIZE WHICH MAY MAKE THIS
PAID CARETAKER SERVICE LIKE MEDICAID..O YES YOU ARE ALLOWED TO HAVE 123,000 IN THE BANK,MEDICAID ONLY 2000.00
DAD HAD NO CASH IN THE BANK AND I STILL VERY HIGH BILLS..BUT im off to the Ombudsman today..its really cheaper to keep your Dad in the home...……..NH is not free..