Most people are aware of the fact that individuals who serve in the United States military are entitled to a retirement pension after serving for at least 20 years. However, there is another type of pension that many veterans are eligible to receive that is not as well known called the Veterans Aid & Attendance special pension or simply “Veterans A & A.”
One of the reasons there are qualified veterans who are not aware that they are eligible to tap into this resource is because the length of service requirement is surprisingly modest. Anyone who has served for at least 90 days with even one of these days taking place during wartime meets the length of service requirement.
You must be able to prove that you need assistance with your day-to-day living needs to qualify for Veterans A & A and of course this requires acknowledgment from medical professionals.
Since this benefit is intended to assist veterans who have some financial need there is an upper resource limit of $80,000. However, your home, your car and some of the other things that you own are not counted toward this figure so you could potentially qualify even if you own considerable assets.
A married couple who is eligible for this special pension could receive as much as $2,020 every month.* The surviving spouse of an eligible veteran could qualify for a $1,094 monthly benefit.* And single eligible veterans may receive up to $1,704 each month.*
Given the extremely high costs associated with long-term care, the Veterans Aid & Attendance special pension can certainly come in handy. If you would like to obtain application forms and more detailed information simply get in touch with the United States Veterans Benefits Administration either online, in person, or over the phone at 1-800-827-1000.
Our office also offers a free “Veteran’s Special Pension and Medi-Cal Planning Workshop”. For more information, follow this link: Seminar link.
*2012 rate effective 12/1/11
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