He has a service-related disability rating due to hearing loss but, more importantly, is suffering from Alzheimer's or dementia issues. What benefits might he be eligible to receive as a non-retired veteran? My BIL is married, but his wife also has medical/mobility issues, too.
Bring with you any medical records that he may have indicating any and all medical issues.
A great deal of conditions have been added when calculating "Service Connected Disability"
Are you the POA?
We are just a bunch of caregivers. If some here have done this I hope they can provide you of the starting point. I can only guess it would be the VA online site. Local numbers might work as well, or they can refer you. Have all service ID information at hand when you call.
Good luck.
Talking to other veteran families can enlighten you to all sorts of veteran benefits. I have a few friends that once we began sharing, it was amazing at the different helps we each were getting. Once I learned what others were getting then I began asking if we were eligible to get XYZ... boom... the doors began opening! I asked his VA doctor, his social worker, and even his nutritionist if we were eligible for various items. All providers don't know all the benefits but most will check for you. We have good health insurance so we only use the VA health care for annual evaluations with his primary care, optometrist, audiology, etc. We use private providers for almost all his regular health care and hospitalizations.
He is only 20% service connected but here are some items he has received... hearing aids, glasses.. even an extra pair that is specialized for his reading issues, incontinence supplies, wheel chair, U-Step walker for Parkinson's, Ensure, bathroom mobility helps, caregivers, and too many to remember! In fact the last time he saw his primary care doctor, she told us not to buy anything special until we check to see if they provide them! Benefits do not always come in the form of a check... but these benefits have saved us a lot of expenses.
I have often heard the best information many receive is while in a waiting room at the VA. Just remember to ask the right person what may be available for your case as each veteran case is unique.
My husband used an attorney who specialized in Veteran disability claims in Eastern North Carolina. I think he retired since then. He was well versed in such claims.
Since the disability office gives you a specific amount of time to file an appeal to the decision, he filed within that time frame. So his award went back to the initial date of filing two years prior. The attorney got his percentage of the 30% extra from the lump sum of back date funds awarded.
It was a two year process to appeal and he had to provide more documentation, had two more VA assessments, had a private community provider give medical documentation, and went before a judge to be questioned.
It was a bit overwhelming, but the attorney helped him over these hurdles. My husband went to a few different attorneys at first, and one of these guys was the one to refer him to the attorney he ended up using.
The biggest thing is to ask how many clients/veterans an attorney has worked with, and what is the success rate. The appeal process is so involved, and the attorney has to put in so much time to do it right, that he should take cases he thinks he can win.
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