Applying for VA widow's benefits. Any advice?
Since I'm caring for my 84 year old mother with dementia in my home, her new elder lawyer suggested applying for widow's benefits through the VA. My father did not serve in Korea (he was on Okinawa) but he DID serve 2 of his 3 years of service during the Korean War years. The lawyer implied that, once all of the paperwork was assembled & submitted, that the approval process would be relatively quick & efficient...like maybe a month or two. I have a hard time believing that since *nothing* the government or VA does is quick & efficient. Anyone have insights into approx. how long it takes between application & awarding of benefits? Also, I'm investigating nursing facilities so that I have my top choice & 2 back-ups shoyld the top choice not have an available bed when we need one. At least one of the local nursing homes will NOT accept VA benefits for payment. Would the VA be depositing money into her bank account that we can then apply to payment for the nursing home or would they want to deal directly with the home and that is it? And, lastly, I reviewed mom's assets with the lawyer & he never said they'd be a problem but some research that I've done suggests that, yes, there is a minimum amount they can possess at certain age levels & still receive VA benefits. True? And, if so, what's the minimum at age 84?
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https://www.agingcare.com/articles/veteran-aid-attendance-benefit-long-term-care-156656.htm
Also, search aid and attendance in the aging care.com search box for more articles.
If your dad was a member of American Legion, VFW, DAV, etc, give that post a call and get some direction to a National Service Officer who can help you sort this out. Alternatively, you can call any of them directly. We have heard good and bad about county offices, but usually they aren't the best. Still, you can find a gem in any entity. If you can, ask around and see who's a good National Service Officer in your area.
As far as the time required once an application or claim is filed, it is usually not quick but does vary very widely depending on where you live in the county and how fast your local VA Regional Office is at clearing claims. Last we checked where we live, it was 9 to 12 months for a pension determination if that gives you any kind of ruler...and our inquiry was a couple of years ago and was for our area only.
Just dive in the pool. It may sound confusing and a little scary, but they'll walk you thru it.
Lillybet...thanks for the income numbers. I had kind of assumed the original number was a monthly figure. Looks from the finall figure that you supplied that it's actually less than $1300/mo. Good clarification to have!
The county Veterans office prepared the application and e-mailed it directly to American Legion, which took it from there. The process went smoothly, I had to provide some additional information, but qualification for service connected disability was granted retroactively to application date about 5 months after application.
There are so many issues to the income level and how it can affect care; at this point, I would refer to the American Legion again or VFW to help walk me through the process. They do this on a regular basis, and it's easier for them to understand and explain than to try and wade through the complicated qualification criteria necessarily established by the VA.
You have a lot of questions; it'll be easier for you to just avoid the red tape and contact a service organization. You don't have to have been a member or have made donations. They serve because it helps veterans and their families.