About A & A Veterans Benefits
Only a fraction of eligible veteran Americans over 65, and their spouses, know about the availability of the Aid & Attendance (A&A) pension through the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA). With more than one third of Americans that are wartime veterans, many families could be benefitting from available assistance to help pay for quality care.
Depending on the veteran’s care needs and financial status, Aid and Attendance can provide $2,000 or more towards the cost of assisted living or other types of senior care. Even surviving spouses of wartime veterans may qualify for related benefits. Considering the relatively high cost of senior care, the benefit can be a godsend for families who would have had great difficulty affording senior care otherwise.
Veterans and widowed spouses who require the aid and attendance of another person may be eligible for pension benefits for care assistance in the home or in an assisted living community. The Aid & Attendance pension is available to honorably discharged war-time veterans with 90 days of active duty, and their surviving spouses.
In order to qualify for A&A, your physician needs to establish that you require daily assistance with tasks such as dressing, undressing, bathing, cooking, eating and others. The A&A pension can provide significant financial support to a veteran or surviving spouse in the following amounts:
- Up to $1,758 per month to a veteran
- Up to $1,130 per month to a surviving spouse
- Up to $2,085 per month to a couple
- Up to $1,380 per month to a veteran filing with a sick spouse
Of course, some seniors have savings and other assets that they can put towards care, or they have adult children who can contribute. But making up for this is challenging for many seniors.
There is also an asset test to qualify for Pension. Any asset or investment that could be easily converted into income might disqualify the claimant. An asset ceiling of $80,000 is often cited in the media as being the test. The $80,000 has to do with VA internal filing requirements and is not an actual test. In reality, there is no dollar amount for the test and any level of assets could block the award. The asset test ultimately becomes a subjective decision made by the veterans service representative, processing the application.
A home, used as a residence, vehicles and difficult-to-sell property are generally excluded from the asset test.
If you have a VA office close to you, make an appointment and talk to them. That way, you can get whatever forms and information you need. In Kane County, Illinois, where Sunnymere is located, call 630-232-3550.
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