What To Know About Applying for the VA Aid & Attendance Benefit

A Wonderful Benefit for Many Veterans

The VA Aid & Attendance is a wonderful benefit that can help wartime veterans or their surviving spouses pay for senior living costs — but applying for it usually requires the assistance of an expert, as well as a great deal of patience. 

Applying for VA Aid & Attendance Benefits: The Ins and Outs

Applying Early Is a Good Idea

The Aid & Attendance benefit was established in the 1950s to help wartime veterans or their surviving spouse pay for care in independent living, assisted living, home health care, adult day care or skilled nursing care by providing monthly payments in addition to their monthly VA pension.

If you’re not ready to make the move to senior living right now, no problem. In fact, since applying for Aid & Attendance can be a complex and lengthy process, starting before the need is urgent is highly recommended. Not only does it give you a head start, but you’ll be also able to fully explore your eligibility without pressure to make sure you receive the benefit you deserve.

Why Is Applying for The VA Aid & Attendance Benefit So Complex?

To start, in 2018 the VA made a few big changes to the approval process for pensions with the Aid & Attendance benefit:

• The maximum amount of assets a claimant, whether single or married, is allowed to have is now equal to the Community Spouse Resource Allowance defined by Medicaid, which is $154,140 for 2024.

• A three-year look-back period for the transfer of assets, which means that if you transfer or gift assets during this period, and the asset would have put you over the maximum amount, a penalty period not to exceed five years will be calculated based on the portion of the transferred assets that would have made net worth excessive.

While these changes certainly benefit applicants, the information required for the three-year look- back information in particular adds an extra layer of complexity which causes this form alone to go from its original 4-5 pages to 19 pages! Then, add in the other forms and supporting documentation, and applications are commonly over 40 pages.

How a VA Accredited Agent Can Help

Keep in mind that it’s not just the length of the application that makes the process complex, it’s

also understanding all the nuances. An expert who knows the rules and regulations, as well as how the VA works, can not only help make the process much easier, but also make sure you get the benefits you deserve to pay toward senior living costs.

And while the VA may tell you to expect it to take 12 to 18 months for your application to be approved, a VA accredited agent can typically help reduce that time significantly.

Beware of Scams

Don’t just accept the help of anyone when applying for Aid & Attendance. There have been numerous instances of people trying to take advantage of veterans who might qualify.

• Commonly known as pension poaching, an individual or organization may offer financial strategies to help you get around the rules by transferring enough of your assets for you to meet the VA requirements. But they often leave out the fact that this can easily be caught during the “look back” periods for Aid & Attendance and Medicaid, potentially disqualifying you from these benefits altogether.

• Another misperception about Aid & Attendance is that if you don’t qualify now, you never will. But that’s not true at all. If the reason you’re ineligible is because you didn’t meet the medical and/or the financial requirement, keep in mind that medical conditions, income and assets change over time. This means that although you may be ineligible now, that may not be the case later.

To Apply for the Aid & Attendance Benefit:

• Send a completed VA form to the Pension Management Center (PMC) that serves your state. Find your PMC.
• File a claim online
• Apply in person at a VA office near you.

We are here to help you. The Herrick House is a lovely 85-unit assisted living residence offering an outstanding level of service. The Herrick House offers residents privacy and independence in their own apartment along with the opportunity to experience the benefits of being part of a community of their peers. You’ll recognize the warmth and friendliness of our caring community from the first moment you visit us.

Life is just better here. We welcome your inquiries and are happy to answer your questions. Contact us today. You can also learn more information by downloading a free copy of our Veterans Benefits Guide.