VETERANS & SPOUSES BENEFITS

[JILL HOWE. Visiting Angels]

Did you know that as a Veteran of the US Armed Services, you may qualify for a special Disability Pension benefit that can be used to cover some of the costs of home care services?

The Veteran,s Disability Pension.

Aid and Assistance Allowance.

Veterans who served during a wartime and have a non service related disability which requires aid and attendance by another person may qualify.

Since the programme applies to anyone who served at least 90 days, you could be eligible to take advantage of this earned benefit programme.

Disability benefits are available for both service related and non-service related.

Certain requirements do apply and you should check with the United States Department of Veterans, Affairs in your State.

More information is availableonline at www.va.gov and search on "Disability Pension"

Qualification Criteria.. Veterans or Widowed Spouses.

The Veteran, alive or deceased, must have served ninety(90) consecutive days active duty with at least one (1) day during wartime. The Veteran must also hold an "Honorable Discharge" status.

If the Veteran had a service related medical discharge with less than ninety (90) days active duty and one day during wartime, he or she may qualify.

A widowed Spouse must have been married to the Verteran at the time of the Veterans death and never re-married, they must have been married for at least one (1) year or have children by the Veteran. The widowed Spouse must also have been living with the Veteran at the time of their death, unless seperation was due to medical or military reasons.

Total household liquid assets ( stocks, bonds,CDs,IRA, 401k, annuities, savings,cash value of whole life insurance policies, checking, appraised value of business or second property.. etc) cannot exceed $80,000. in the case of a married Veteran , both spouses assets count, even if assets were pre-marital.

Housebound certification is required by the individual,s doctor stating they are in need of assistance due to an existing medical condition.

You may aslo qualify under a "Low Income"provision, if net monthly income after certain medical expenses is low enough and meets the US Department of Veteran Affairs criteria.

Additional Benefits are Available.

Please Visit. wwwva.gov to find out what you may be entitled to.

WE HONOR VETERANS... We Thank You for Your Service & Sacrifices.

It is the Veteran, not the lawyer, who has given us the right to fair trial.

It is the Veteran, not the politician, who has given us the right to Vote.

It is the Veteran who salutes the Flag.

It is the Veteran, who serves under the Flag........And We Are Forever Grateful

[Sara Hand]

Jill,

Thanks for the information. Sometimes we don't know what we don't know. I hope this helps some families get some help in taking care of family members.