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Department of
Veteran's Affairs Can Help
By
Nate Murray |
Question:
My dad served in the army during World War II and received
an honorable discharge. He is now in need of in-home
services to help him with meal preparation, some hygiene
assistance and remembering when to take his medications
which are set out each week by his nurse who comes to us
through our care manager. Are there any benefits available
to Veterans to assist with paying for private in-home care?
VM, Kingston
Answer: The U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs
offers a Disability Pension to veterans who are permanently
disabled, but the disability does not need to be as a result
of military service. This is specifically for Veteran’s who
served on active duty during a wartime period and who have a
limited income. The pension is targeted to Veteran’s who
need assistance with instrumental activities of daily
living.
Veterans can apply for this pension by filling out VA Form
21-526 or they can apply on-line using VONAPP, the Veterans
On-Line Applications web site. The VONAPP is an official
Department of Veteran’s Affairs web site which enables
Veteran’s to apply for benefits using the internet. VONAPP
is an excellent resource to reduce the usually cumbersome
filing process. The VONAPP web site is:
www.vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp
Massachusetts has a law dating back to the Revolutionary War
(230 years ago) that requires cities and towns to award
benefits so that veterans never have to be beggars. The
state will reimburse the cities 75% of their costs. There
are both income and asset tests. They cover all kinds of
expenses, including the kinds of things that we do, calling
them “medical benefits.”
They will pay all bills for qualified beneficiaries. If the
person fails to qualify because of assets or their income
being too high, then “spend downs” are allowed - in other
words, if they don’t meet the income requirements, they can
get benefits if they first spend down to the level that
makes them eligible, and the city/state will pick up the
rest.
Not only Veterans qualify, but also their spouses,
widows/widowers, parents, children and dependents. Each town
or city must accept and approve benefits. Some towns
routinely decline, because they don’t understand their legal
obligations and don’t have a veteran’s benefits specialist.
You can call your veteran’s agent in your city or town to
find out if your community is involved in this benefit.
Any qualified home care agency can assist you by providing
you with the forms and contact information to assist you in
getting help for your dad. He deserves it - he risked his
life for us all at a time when his country called on him. To
make things a little easier in his elder years is the least
we as a country can do. |
About The Author
Nate Murray,
MSW, LICSW is the Managing Partner and Kim Griffin, LSW is
the Director of The Visiting Angels, a division of MBC
Senior Services, Inc. Send your questions to them at 475
School Street, Suite 9, Marshfield MA 02050. They can be
reached at (781) 834-6355 or on the web at
www.visitingangels.com.
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