My 83 year old father served in the military back in his 20's for 2-3 years. He is now living in a memory care facility. Does anyone know of any military benefits he may be eligible for? The whole veterans thing is very confusing.
Thank you so much for your very informative answers. My brother and I will be going over some of his affairs soon (we live in different states) so I think I will give the VA a call.
Also, to the degree he may have suffered any disabilities while in the service, however small, it gets you to different levels of pensions and benefits. They usually give you a percent in a multiple of ten (e.g. 10% disabled, 30% disabled, and so on) An uncle has poor hearing and they said it couldn have happened while working on the flight line in the service, with all the noise Maybe, or maybe not, but that was the determination so he gets some level of pension, gets free eyeglasses, even though that has nothing to do with hearing, free hearing aids, etc.
there are VA homes and also private homes with contracts with the VA. Just being a vet doesn't always get you a lot but my dad was on hospice, and as a vet on hospice, he got free SNF. Also a program called Aid and Attendance but there are income and asset conditions on that.
I found that I could never get straight offer from VA. One hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and you have to call a multitude of people. First step is to get him enrolled and that includes a physical at the VA. Counties in some states have what they call County Veteran Service Officers (CSVOs). They work for the county, not the VA, but they can be a good liasson to what is available. As in all fields, some of these CVSOs are great, other are worthless.
To receive Aid and Attendance he had to serve during Wartime. By his age he was too young for WWII and Korea. Maybe Vietnam? There is an income limit and the need to health care.
You need to call your County VA office and talk to a rep. Have Dads records available.
Thank you very much for your responses. I will definitely give the VA a call. I am his legal guardian and was able to request a copy of his military records.
Since he is a peace time veteran and based on the info provided, there’s really nothing he’s eligible for. If he didn’t serve at least 1 day during a war, he’s not eligible for a pension or aid & attendance. He may be eligible for health insurance benefits.
This is the VA Helpdesk toll-free number - Vets.gov Help Desk 1-855-574-7286 - it might be quickest just to give them a ring. I expect you'll need his service number and dates, at least, so I should have them handy when you pick up the phone.
Did he maintain any links with whoever he served with?
I found that I could never get straight offer from VA. One hand doesn't know what the other is doing, and you have to call a multitude of people. First step is to get him enrolled and that includes a physical at the VA. Counties in some states have what they call County Veteran Service Officers (CSVOs). They work for the county, not the VA, but they can be a good liasson to what is available. As in all fields, some of these CVSOs are great, other are worthless.
You need to call your County VA office and talk to a rep. Have Dads records available.
Did he maintain any links with whoever he served with?