How long will it take to receive VA benefits after the forms are sent in?

I was told it would take 6 months or so. We filed in June and have received 2 letters saying the application is still be processed. Nothing beyond that yet.

I assume you are asking about the Aid & Attendance Benefit for survivors of veterans who served during war time. The elder care attorney that I used to prepare & submit the various documents told me that it would take at least 8 months. I also have received 2 letters from the VA indicating that the application is being processed. The last letter was dated May 31, 2012.

Several weeks ago I talked to a staff member of my congressman. She told me that the VA has been over whelmed with applications and a more realistic approval time is around 18 months if all of the submitted documents are complete & the VA does not have any questions.

I am trying to apply for VA Disability for my disabled Vietnam Veteran husband and I received a denial letter within 6 mos. The initial application can take up to one year before you hear from the VA office. There is a huge backlog of files and applications. I have appealed the case and have filed once again. Be patient and wait. Remember, you are dealing with the government. If you call them and they pull the file to review things with you, the file goes to the bottom of the pile and you start the wait all over again.

My Father was a WWII vet and two years ago when we applied it took 8 months and they mailed all that he was due in one check....the seven months in arrears plus the first monthly check. I recently spoke with a friend who had filed in Feb.2011 for her StepDad with a similar service record and in sept.2012 he received his first check of 1700.00 plus but there was no mention of the money due in arrears. I suggested she contact her Congressman and they have sent a Congressional Letter of Inquiry to the VA. I wish you success in obtaining his Aid & Attendant care money in a reasonable period of time. I would probably have your Congressman do an inquiry if it has been longer than 9 months.

Veterans always receive the benefits the quickest. Spouses who are widowed and apply usually take longer. My Aunt's took over 12 months to get a denial. My other Aunt who is 92 applied in April of 2012 and we just keep getting the letter that it is being processed. I was told the average for spouses was about 12 months, and that the Veteran themselves were usually about 4 to 8 months. The attorney that we hired was certified in Veteran's Aid. He offers a refund if it does not go through so I would think he would be right about the general time it takes.

I sent in the application for my 92 year old MIL last January, and it was received by the VA with a January 9 date. There were a couple of things that they still needed, so over the next few months, we exchanged a few letters, and her benefits began September 1, so almost 8 months after sumitting application. She still has back pay, from January through July, due her, and I have no idea when to expect that. We tried to call the VA a couple of weeks ago but couldn't get through to someone, so decided to just wait for another few weeks and if we still have not heard anything about the back pay, we'll pursue it again.

For my mom, it took almost 1 year to get the monthly benefits and then almost another year for the retro. Remember the benefits are retro from the day you applied. Good luck.

The best thing that we managed was to contact our local VA office and have someone personally work with us, keeping an eye on everything. They are very knowledgeable and the best part, it's free!
If you have a computer, you can easily find your nearest VA office.
Best of Luck!
Suzanne

Mamoogins - I think what we're all talking about is something entirely different. Veterans Aid and Attendance is specifically for care and is asset-based. It's not the same as retirement or disability. The link posted by kjhinshaw explains it.

Her VA benefits were deposited dec 1st! Very quick and I think the $700 I paid to have the papers done by experts really worked. Hope you are as lucky. I was really nervous after I saw the length of time vets were waiting, as hired a company that specializes.