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I’m having the same problem. Would love to hear any tips or tricks anyone has.
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Please don’t give up. I helped my friend apply for her survivor benefits. Her husband was a Korean vet. We had to provide a lot of documents but the check she received was a little more than her social security check. Hang in there!
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They wsnt u to give up.
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Get an attorney who specializes in this. It’s worth it. And when u do get all the necessary forms, make at least 5 copies of everything because they WILL lose several.
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mhousto: Hang in there. Try contacting them again and don't give up this time as your mother needs the information. Retain an elder law attorney.
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We filed and were successful getting 20% service connected disability for my husband by working with a benefits counselor in a local County Veterans Affairs Office. This is all we had to do…
1. Made a phone call and was told what documents would be needed.
2. Brought the documents to an in-person appointment.
3. At the appointment, we answered questions while counselor completed the application online for us. She even pulled info from his online records when needed.
4. We went for the medical appointment to verify issues.
5. He was approved, received the back-pay from date of application and began getting his monthly benefits.
6. There was never a fee for services and I think it only took 6 months.

Several years ago we applied by ourselves for Aid and Attendance and it took months to complete the forms and then after waiting months longer he was denied. I now know more about what it will take to qualify and I plan to go back to the benefits counselor again for help and expect it will take a lot less time to go through the application process. We now have a trust for our retirement funds, etc. In six more months it will be beyond the 3 yr. look back period and we can reapply with it not counting against us and in 2 1/2 years it won’t count against us for Medicaid if there is a need. Hopefully with Aid and Attendance and what we have saved we can have more choices and delay Medicaid for a long time.

When my husband applied for SS disability, we went to the SS office…. a rep completed his application for us and just like working with the County Veterans Affairs Office, he was approved the first time around, all with no attorney fees.

Never try to work through a government application alone or use a paid service until you have exhausted the free services of the agency involved.

Never deny yourself of benefits you are entitled simply by not applying. Find your local County Veterans Affairs Office and hopefully you will find a good benefits counselor like we did to file the application for you.
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ckrestaurant1 Apr 2022
I filed this through the mail ironically....and got approved for my 95 yr old Dad Vet in 3 months!!I went to the VA as well ...however I did not get the correct level which should have been double the money received which was
900 dollars....as Dad was blind and I was happy and just plain unaware that this existed at all....calling on behalf of brother caretaker of Dad who fell 5 yrs earlier and was low income and taken care of by my brother for many yrs...of yes you need the Discharge papers for this....or you will wait longer to locate this paperwork through the VA....remember WW2 was eighty years ago!
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The federal government is not easy to deal with - lots of paperwork, old computer systems, not enough workers (especially now).... So sorry your parents did not put things together so VA had all the paperwork/info needed for the situations you face today. Keep at it.
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get legal help
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I would wonder in those who have been successful and getting A&A for a LO was it easier getting for the Vet over getting it for the surviving spouse?
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