Overview of Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit for Assisted Living
If you or your elderly parents are considering moving into assisted living, a primary consideration is how the costs of this type of long-term care will be addressed. There are a number of options potentially available to a person considering assisted living. One potential way to pay for assisted living is through Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits. Through this article we discuss some of the basic information associated with Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits to be used for assisted living in California and across the United States.
In this article, we discuss a number of issues associated with Veterans Aid and Attendance:
- Who is eligible for Veterans Aid and Attendance?
- How is wartime service defined?
- Other requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance
- Clinical requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance
- Special financial requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance
Who Is Eligible for Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefits?
Determining eligibility for Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits can prove to be quite complex in many instances. Ultimately, it is the Veterans Administration that determines whether or not an individual is eligible for Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits. The Veterans Administration has established some general guidelines to be applied when it comes to ascertaining eligibility for Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits:
- Veterans who served on active duty for at least 90 consecutive days, including at least one full day during a time of war, may be eligible for Aid and Attendance if they also qualify for the basic Veterans Pension and meet the clinical and financial requirements.
- Service in a combat zone is not a requirement.
- Widowed spouses of eligible veterans may also qualify if they meet the clinical and income requirements and have not remarried.
How Is Wartime Service Defined?
As was just noted, service during wartime is a requirement of obtaining Veterans Aid and Attendance benefits that can be used to cover the costs of residency in an assisted living community. Congress establishes the definition of what is meant by wartime service. The dates that the Veterans Administration uses to decide which veterans qualify for benefits like Veterans Aid and Attendance are these:
- World War II: December 7, 1941 — December 31, 1946
- Korean Conflict: June 27, 1950 — January 31, 1955
- Vietnam Era: February 28, 1961 — May 7, 1975, for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period; otherwise August 5, 1964 — May 7, 1975
- Gulf War: August 2, 1990, through a future date to be set by Presidential proclamation or law (for VA benefits purposes, this time of war is still in effect)
Other Requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance
In addition to the active duty and wartime service requirements discussed a moment ago, otherwise eligible veterans must also meet at least one of these criteria to qualify for Veterans Aid and Attendance:
- Be 65 or older with no or limited income
- Have a permanent and total disability
- Receive Supplemental Security Income
- Receive Social Security Disability Insurance
- Reside in a nursing home
Clinical Requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance
In addition to the requirements discussed thus far in this article, there are some clinical requirements that must be satisfied in order to qualify for Veterans Aid and Attendance. A veteran seeking this benefit must meet a clinical requirement. The same holds true of a surviving spouse.
- Be bedridden except for medical and therapy appointments and treatments
- Have severe visual impairment (eyesight limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity OR less in both eyes OR concentric contraction of the visual field to five degrees or less)
- Reside in a nursing home because of physical or mental incapacity, including Alzheimer’s and dementia
- Require help with some activities of daily living such as, but not limited to:
- Bathing
- Dressing
- Eating
- Using the bathroom
- And so forth.
Specific Financial Requirements for Veterans Aid and Attendance Assistance
As of December 2018, the Veterans Administration established a clear upper limit for applicants’ net worth. The total net worth of an applicant for Veterans Aid and Attendance assistance is $123,600. Total net worth for the purposes of Veterans Aid and Attendance assistance does not not include the applicant’s automobile, personal effects, and residence.
The Veterans Administration also implemented a three-year lookback period. The lookback period is designed to determine if an applicant’s assets were sold below market value or gifted in a way that reduced net worth below the upper eligibility limit.
There’s also an upper limit on monthly countable income minus expenses such as unreimbursed medical bills, prescription out-of-pocket costs as well as Medicare and private health insurance premiums. The Veterans Administration pays benefit amounts that make up the difference between a recipient’s countable income and the monthly upper limit discussed a moment ago.
More information on Veterans Aid and Attendance is available from the Veterans Administration. In addition, additional information oftentimes is available from an assisted living community administrative team.