It is possible to receive various need-based pension
benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and it could be a good
idea to explore these benefit options fully if you think mom or dad may be
eligible. A
qualified Veteran (together with any spouse) or a surviving spouse who has low
income and few assets can apply for non-service connected disability VA Pension
benefits. The VA pension program provides monthly benefit payments to certain
wartime Veterans who demonstrate financial need, and their survivors. The VA
offers both a Veterans Pension and a Survivors Pension, which are tax-free
monetary benefits payable to low-income wartime Veterans or low-income
surviving spouses and/or unmarried children of a deceased Veteran who served
during wartime. To be an eligible wartime Veteran, the service member must be
discharged under other than dishonorable conditions and served 90 days or more
of active military service with at least 1 day during a period of war (with
different requirements for those Veterans who entered active duty after
September 7, 1980).
There
are three different levels of VA Pension that a Veteran and survivor may be
eligible to receive. The first is the Veterans
Pension, which provides supplemental income and is a needs-based program
for low-income Veterans and survivors. The second pension available is the Housebound Pension, which provides an increased
monthly pension amount when a Veteran or survivor is housebound as defined by
the VA and certified by their doctor. The third pension available, and one that
may be the most familiar, is the Aid
& Attendance Pension. The Aid & Attendance pension increases the
monthly pension if the applicant needs help with at least 2-3 activities of
daily living and would normally require a protected environment, and certified
by their doctor.
The VA Pension is a great program to explore, however, it is important
to recognize that as far as VA benefits are concerned, the
law is complex and currently is unsettled due to changes that have been
proposed by the regulators and could change at any time.
Written by Heather W. Winter, Esquire
