A​&A Veteran Benefits

A​&A Benefits

Veterans have a lot of ways to get help in meeting their personal, health, and financial needs. Aid and Attendance is one of the best ways for veterans to receive benefits to help cover expenses related to home health care and assisted living.

This pension offers a tax-free solution for veterans and their surviving spouses who need help in their later years. It also covers disabilities that may have occurred outside of military service.

But understanding the Veterans benefits associated with Aid and Attendance can be tricky. So here are the most asked Aid and Attendance benefits questions answered to help you get the most help for you and your loved ones.

Am I eligible?​​

There are a number of eligibility requirements for Aid and Attendance benefits, including the following:

• You must require assistance with at least two of five daily living activities
• Your total care costs must exceed your income
• You must have served in the military during a period of conflict
• Assets within limits

Do I have to have participated in an actual wartime battle to qualify?

The third requirement listed above is a common source of confusion. You might be wondering if “service” means the same as activity in wartime battle. You only need to have been on active duty and served a minimum of one day, anywhere in the world, during the following:

• WWII: December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946
• Korean War: June 27, 1950 – January 31, 1955
• Vietnam War: August 5, 1964 – May 7, 1975
• Persian Gulf War: August 2, 1990 – present day

In order to qualify for the benefits provided by Aid and Attendance, a vet’s discharge must be anything other than dishonorable. This includes honorable, general, medical and family hardship discharges.

How do I qualify financially for A&A?

Financial requirements may vary depending on your own situation. In general, the cost of your medical needs must be more than your income in order to qualify for Aid and Attendance.

Your income also includes any money that is earned by your dependents as well as payments received for disability, retirement, dividends or interest.

Assets, not including one house and one car, must not exceed $130,00.00

Benefit Amounts

Paid monthly, tax free

Married Veteran $2,295
Single Veteran $1,936
Widowed Spouse $1,244

By Dick Dorrough, War Veterans Association of Colorado. Dick has a long history in the financial services sector and founded War Veterans Association nine years ago to assist war-time veterans in applying for Aid and Attendance funding.