If you or a loved one served our country, you may be able to obtain certain benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Many wartime veterans — and spouses or surviving spouses of veterans — are unaware of the “Aid and Attendance” (A&A) Benefit that can is paid out through the Veterans Administration (the VA). The A&A benefit can provide much-needed assistance when a veteran or a veteran’s spouse needs nursing home, assisted living or in-home care.
In order to qualify for the A&A benefit, the veteran must have served during a qualified war period.
QUALIFIED WAR PERIODS
- World War II – Time Period: December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
- Korean War – Time Period: June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
- Vietnam War – “Feet on the ground” in Vietnam from February 28, 1961 through August 5, 1964.
- Persian Gulf War – August 2, 1990 through a date to be set by Presidential Proclamation or Law.
WHAT ARE THE DISABILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR AID AND ATTENDANCE?
Veterans, spouses of veterans or surviving spouses can be eligible for Aid and Attendance benefits if they meet the following disability requirements:
- The aid of another person is needed in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, toileting, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting themselves from the hazards of their daily environment; or
- The claimant is bedridden, in that their disability or disabilities require that they remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment; or
- The claimant is in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity; or
- The claimant is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.