Any War-Time Veteran with 90 days of active duty, 1 day beginning or ending during a period of War, with an honorable discharge is eligible to apply for the Aid & Attendance Improved Pension. A surviving spouse (marriage must have ended due to death of veteran) of a War-Time Veteran may also apply. The individual applying must qualify both medically and financially. 

 

 

If younger than 65, the veteran must be totally disabled. If age 65 and older, there is no requirement for disability. There is no disability requirement for a single surviving spouse.

 

 

To qualify medically, a War-Time Veteran or unremarried surviving spouse must need the assistance of another person to perform daily tasks, such as eating, dressing, undressing, taking care of the needs of nature, etc.

 

 

Being blind or in a nursing home for mental or physical incapacity, or residing in an personal care facility also qualifies.

 

 

Eligibility must be proven by filing the proper Veterans Application /paperwork for Pension or Compensation.

 

 

The veteran household cannot have income -- adjusted for unreimbursed medical expenses -- exceeding the Maximum Allowable Pension Rate-- MAPR -- for that veteran's Pension income category. If the adjusted income exceeds MAPR, there is no benefit. If adjusted income is less than the MAPR, the veteran receives a Pension income that is equal to the difference between MAPR and the household income adjusted for unreimbursed medical expenses. The Pension income is calculated, based on 12 months of future household income, but paid monthly.

 

Unreimbursed Medical Expenses

 

A portion of unreimbursed medical expenses paid by claimants may reduce the countable income.

Unreimbursed medical expenses include: cost of a long term care institution, or personal care residence, health related insurance premiums (including Medicare premiums), diabetic supplies, private caregivers, incontinence supplies, prescriptions and dialysis not covered by any other health plan. Only the portion of the unreimbursed medical expenses that exceed 5% of the basic pension MAPR may be deducted.

 

 

Qualifications &  "Look Back" Period

To qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit and other pensions, the VA will look at the applicant’s overall net worth (assets) in addition to their income. A veteran’s net worth, according to the VA, includes assets in bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and property other than the veteran's primary residence and vehicle. Other items that can be excluded when determining net worth are household goods and furnishings, as well as personal effects, such as clothing.

The VA released a net worth limit of $129,094 to be effective 12/01/2019.This limit is the same for single and married applicants. 

Another new rule that may impact one’s eligibility for VA pensions is that one’s annual income (after deducting unreimbursed medical expenses) will be added to their net worth. Say a veteran has $12,000 in annual income after deducting eligible medical expenses, and has assets in the amount of $100,000. In this example, $12,000 in income would be added to the $100,000 in assets, equaling a total of $112,000 in net worth for the applicant.

There is also a new VA asset look back rule that will be effective as of 10/18/18. This is similar to Medicaid's asset test, which "looks back" at an applicant's past asset transfers for up to 5 years preceding their application. However, the VA will only “look back” for up to 3 years. During this timeframe, which immediately precedes one’s application date, the VA checks to ensure no assets were given away or sold under fair market value. If they find any such transfers, it is assumed the assets were gifted or sold in order to meet the new net worth limit of $123,600. Therefore, there will be a period of VA pension ineligibility. Please note: transfers made prior to 10/18/18 do not violate this new look back rule. Another exception is if the applicant transferred assets, but never had assets in excess of $123,600. If this is the case, these transfers do not violate the look back period.

If one's assets are above $123,600, it is strongly recommended that they consult with a veterans' pension planner prior to application to ensure the greatest possibility of acceptance.

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BEWARE OF SCAMS: FILLING OUT VA AID & ATTENDANCE CLAIMS:

• Don’t pay for a service that is free. There are many accredited claims agents within the Military and Veterans Community who are highly qualified to perform this service free of charge.

• Do research on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) website into the accreditation of a claims agent, if you are considering paying them a fee to process your benefits.

• Follow recommendations and referrals of fellow veterans who have had successful experiences filing VA benefit claims with specific veterans’ service organizations. Always ask to see the representative’s accreditation credentials.

• Work with only certified veterans service organizations with the relevant training these are listed on the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website and include representatives of organizations such as: the Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, county veteran affairs directors, and other organizations.

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Aaccredited veterans service officer from Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs. his contact info is: (Click on his name to follow the link to the Dept of Veterans Affairs Accreditation Site)

 

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PAPERWORK HELP

Aaron J. Rieber, USN, Veterans Service Officer

PA Department of Military and Veterans Affairs|Office of Veteran Affairs

1000 Liberty Avenue Suite 1612|Pittsburgh, PA 15222-4003

Phone Number: 412-395-6226|Fax: 412-395-6224

www.dmva.pa.gov

Aaron.Rieber@va.gov

Accreditation Number: 25573 

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CONGRESSIONAL VA HELP

Nicholas Demicheli   Nicholas.Demicheli@mail.house.gov

Military and Veteran Liaison

Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-18)

4705 Library Rd.

Bethel Park, Pa. 15102

(412) 283-4451

(412) 370-5768 (c)

(412) 283-4465 (f)

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White Oak Vet Center

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Oak Park Mall
2001 Lincoln Way, Suite 280
White Oak, PA 15131
Phone: 412-678-7704
Fax: 412-678-7780

 

 

 

To apply you will need:

 

Veteran's DD-214 (see below for more information) or separation papers.

 

 

To request a copy of a DD-214 visit www.vetrec.archives.gov.

(NOTE:   The 1973 Fire at the National Personnel Records Center damaged or destroyed 16-18 million Army and Air Force records that documented the service history of former military personnel discharged from 1912-1964. Although the information in many of these primary source records was either badly damaged or completely destroyed, often alternate record sources can be used to reconstruct the service of the veterans impacted by the fire. Sometimes we are able to reconstruct the service promptly using alternate records that are in our holdings, but other times we must request information from other external agencies for use in records reconstruction. In some instances, therefore, requests that involve reconstruction efforts may take several weeks to a month to complete.

 

VA Form Medical Evaluation from a physician with current medical issues & assistance needed. 

 

Copy of Marriage Certificate (for surviving spouse or when filing for both the veteran and spouse).

 

Net worth & Gross income, along with out-of-pocket Medical Expenses (not reimbursed)

 

Copy of current Social Security Award letter (Letter that SS sends at the beginning of the year stating what your monthly amount will be for the following year).

 

Net worth information, including bank accounts, CD's, Trust, Stocks, Bonds, Annuities, etc.

 

Proof of all income from pensions, retirement, interest income from investments, annuities, etc.

 

Proof of insurance premiums, medications, medical bills or any other medical expenses that are not reimbursed by insurance or Medicare.

 

Banking information for Direct Deposit of monthly payments (include a voided check)

 

As a general rule, to qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit and other pensions, a family's assets cannot exceed $80,000. The primary home and vehicles can be excluded when determining net worth. It is worth noting that $80,000 is not a hard limit. The final determination also considers a veteran's age, care expenses and life expectancy. Veterans with less than that amount have been denied and veterans who assets exceed that limit have been accepted.

A veteran’s net worth, according to the VA, includes assets in bank accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds and property other than the veteran's primary residence and vehicle. See Qualifications & Look Back in the left column for new financial information 

 

Net Worth (the value of your assets) also affects eligibility. VA pensions are a need–based benefit, and a large net worth might affect your eligibility. All personal goods are exempt from the net worth. These goods include  household goods and personal effects such as clothes, jewelry and furniture. Unfortunately, there is no asset limit set by law, and the determination of eligibility can be made at the discretion of a VA caseworker.

If one's assets are near the eligibility limit, it is strongly recommended they consult with a veterans' pension planner prior to application to ensure the greatest possibility of acceptance.

 

 

Physician evaluation on VA form,  that includes current diagnosis, medical status, prognosis, name and address, ability to care for self, ability to travel unattended, etc. If you are a veteran in a nursing home, or a family member of a veteran in a nursing home, you use this form as a certification of that status

 

Spouses will also need:

 

 

Veteran's Death Certificate

 

 

Starting the process:

 

• You can apply online at: https://www.ebenefits.va.gov/

 

 

or

 

You can submit a one-page VA Form 21-0966 (INTENT TO FILE A CLAIM FOR COMPENSATION AND/OR PENSION, OR SURVIVORS PENSION AND/OR DIC) which will get the claim into the system

 

You can download the form here: VA Form 21-0966

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Applicants should be prepared to wait 9 - 12 months to begin receiving their benefits.

 

The application process is long and complicated. To apply it is best to get help from a professional benefits advisor / planner.  Working with an advisor can reduce the time to receive benefits by many months, increase the benefit amount and provide other value. However, even in the very best cases, applicants will wait 6 months to begin receiving their benefits.

 

There are loans available to help pay for care while waiting for claims to be processed.

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