My Father was a veteran. He has passed away. My Mother is showing signs of dementia, is there financial assistance for her for care?

You do not say how long the two were married. If it was a long time, then she might qualify for Aid and Attendance pension which requires a great deal of paperwork you can do yourself, but you have to have doctor's verification and testing to prove she needs 24/7 care. It may take some time, and with the government shutdown do not except the VA to be working on any claim.

Yes, absolutely. Call your local Veterans Administration. Be persistent.

If your father would have qualified for VA Aid & Attendance benefits, your mother could apply for the same program. If approved she would receive cash benefits to pay for in home care or if at some time she enters an assisted living facility it could pay for a large portion of their monthly charges. My local VA office has told me it takes about a year to be approved however and any benefits approved are not retroactively counted back to the application date. I wish you the best of luck with everything; it's well worth your application time.

Yes definitely. She is eligible of spousal benefits including nursing home care which is quite reasonable here in MD. I know this because I visit my brother-in-law there every week and most all of the women in the home are spouses.

My mother is in assisted living. We applied for benefits for her about 18 years after my father's death. There is a benefit given to widows of those that served overseas for a minimum of maybe it's a 100 days (not sure of the number). There was loads of red tape to go through. It took a year to get it all done, but now she has been receiving benefits. There is also a maximum number of $ that she gets per month and that would disqualify any that have assets. A person can submit the forms but as long as the government is shut down they won't be looked at, and then there will be a big back log....so you are looking at at least a year from now getting money. Good luck.

My deceased father was a decorated WWII veteran. My widowed mother is now 87 years old and cannot get one dime from the VA! Also getting help from the VA (answering questions, returning phone calls, making appointments with them) is about as easy as a brain tumor. Good luck.

The forms are still available online (I just downloaded one) and the online version is still working. That being said, there is of course no one in the office right now to begin the process, but since time is important, having it ready to go when the office reopens is in her best interests.

The Federal Government is currently CLOSED, you cannot even get money to bury a dead soldier right now.

More links at the VA Website:

This is the one for survivors: http://www.va.gov/opa/persona/dependent_survivor.asp

This is to see what the pension rules and regulations are:
http://www.benefits.va.gov/pension/spousepen.asp

Basically, if the spouse was receiving VA Benefits at the time of their death, the spouse is generally eligible. If the veteran was not receiving benefits, that usually meant that the veteran did not qualify due to service during peace time or other reason. Sometimes, a spouse was unaware he or she was eligible and never filed for the benefits. In that case, a deceased veteran's spouse MIGHT be able to collect. Call your local VA and ask to speak to the "Claims Representative".

This site is a direct link to the VA and answers many questions for surviving spouses and underage children as to what benefits they might be eligible for:

http://www.va.gov/explore/dependents-and-survivors.asp?utm_source=adcenter&utm_medium=cpc&utm_term=benefits%20for%20veterans%20widows&utm_content=dependent-widow&utm_campaign=search-national-va

If you qualify under the guidelines listed above, you have two options. You can fill out the questionnaire at eBenefits.va.gov at this site: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits-portal/ebenefits.portal

Or you can go directly to a regional office and ask to speak to a "Claims Representative". To find your closest regional office, go to: http://www.benefits.va.gov/benefits/offices.asp

I hope this helps and I am so sorry for your recent loss.

My Dad is a WWII vet and our financial advisor told us that Mom would qualify for approx. $800/mo towards long term care expenses, as well as be entitled to some burial expenses as the wife of a veteran. We aren't at that point with her so I've not asked for specifics at this point. Too busy still trying to get Dad approved for his VA and ALTECS (AZ version of Medicaid) approvals. Have been waiting and submitting info over and over since last February. It is a long, complicated process getting help for these elders and I do not know that I could do without an eldercare/trust attorney, case manager and their financial experts to help me with this! I urge everyone who can afford it to check into this kind of support!

I applied for benefits for my mother as my father who passed away was a Veteran as well. She was turned down. I am interested in hearing from others who've applied and have been able to secure benefits.

Yes, under the Veterans Administration "pension" program, the surviving spouse of a veteran can receive the type of assistance to which you refer. I suggest contacting the local VA office for advice and the proper forms to fill out. Good luck!

I don't think so, but am interested in this thread. I would call the VA and ask them.