My mom-in-law is a retired US Army Lieutenant Colonel who served during wartime in Vietnam as a nurse. She retired with her full military pension. She also worked civilian jobs so she gets Social Security as well plus a small pension from a government contractor she worked for. All together it is about $6500 after tax. She has no assets.
She is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and needs help with ADLs and it is to the point where it is really straining her budget to pay for that caregiving herself. An elder law attorney suggested she can apply for her VA A&A benefit even though her income is high because her costs are also high. However, he said she will only qualify if she goes into Assisted Living and if she stays at home she won’t qualify.
That doesn’t make sense to me but he said that’s reality and that the VA will write checks directly to a facility but won’t give her the money to spend on caregivers herself because there is too much fraud. That is, some people will take the A&A money and then spend it on something else. Is what he is saying accurate?
Other than Tricare (supplemental health insurance) and her pension she isn’t receiving any VA benefits at the moment. Last time she applied she was denied because they said her need for care is not the direct result of an injury sustained as a result of her service but is just a consequence of aging. What other help can the VA provide, if any?
Qualifications for classifications of "Service Connected Disability" are changing all the time. Meaning that she may be entitled to benefits she was not entitled to previously.
Contact a VSO (a CERTIFIED Veteran Services Officer) near you by searching the web. They will help her get A&A. Do not go thru a VA Medical Social Worker, they are independent contractors, and also incompetent.
A&A is a benefit given when the vet is considered "house bound." Just being unable to drive qualifies! Get her Form DD-214 first. That's what the VSO will require to get started. I wasted 2 yrs trying various VA Social Workers and VA Geriatric doctors, who were all useless.
The VSO knows the various assortment of forms needed to apply. A retired Lt. Col. with Alz should not be treated like a nobody at all! The VSO's excellent services are FREE. Civilians (such as the lawyer who misinformed you) have no clue about the Dept. of Veterans Affairs system whatsoever.
If she worked in Vietnam as a nurse, she was likely exposed to Agent Orange. Has she been given Level 4 medical priority? The VA doctor should have applied for that on her behalf. That means she never pays for any VA Medical anything ever again. She'd rank under #3 (a POW), as far as benefits.
If in Vietnam, she has likely had PSTD for years, as well as was exposed to Agent Orange, which causes dementia, cancers and kidney disease, among other nasty complications. Her Primary doctor verifies her Alzheimers on one 3 page form, and she's good as gold.
Let the VSO you find know of her Vietnam service and high rank, and what BS that worthless lawyer told you. He will be FURIOUS. If you are near California, PM me and I'll get my VSO on this. He is a member of Vietnam Veterans of America, and a CERTIFIED VSO. He is a Vietnam combat veteran, who has helped hundreds of veterans for over 25 years get what they deserve.
I'm upset hearing this myself, since my Dad was a Lt. Col. in Army 101st Airborne. She is owed by the US Govt, big time. Wow.