How to Know if Your Senior Qualifies for VA Benefits

If your senior served in the Armed Forces and was released under honorable conditions, then he or she may qualify for VA health care benefits. These benefits provide assistance for veterans and their dependents. They can often be a huge help for those who may otherwise struggle to pay for medical care. Here is some basic information to bear in mind if your elderly loved one served their country and could use assistance.

To be eligible, individuals must have served in the Armed Forces on a basis that meets current requirements. Both past and present members of the Reserves or National Guard who were called up to active duty and served their full term may also be eligible for VA health benefits. The vet must also have served at least one day during wartime in order to be eligible to receive care. These dates include:

For World War II: 12/7/1941 through 12/31/1946
Korean War: 6/27/1950 through 1/31/1955
Vietnam War: 8/5/1964 through 5/7/1975
Gulf War: From 8/2/1990 to a date that has not yet been determined by the government

For elderly veterans and their dependents, there are three different kinds of VA benefits that are available. The necessary level for your senior depends on the type of care that the elderly individual requires. The tiers are:

Basic pension: This provides cash assistance for low-income vets and their dependents. This is useful if your senior is healthy but has a very low amount of money coming in.

Housebound benefit: This tier of benefits allows a senior to get help with day to day activities that they may have trouble completing on a regular basis.

Aid and attendance: This tier refers to home care that is needed every day.

The home care professionals of Always Best Care Asheville remind you that eligibility for these benefits is “means tested,” meaning that only those who genuinely need this assistance will qualify. Benefits are determined based on a combination of income, assets, and needs. However, an elderly individual who may fall right on the border of financial eligibility should apply anyway, as many decisions are made on a case-by-case basis. In order to apply for these benefits, your senior should contact a VA health care facility using the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs as a resource.