VA Benefits | willow-marsh-manor

INFORMATION ABOUT VA BENEFITS:

WHAT ARE THE VA BENEFITS THAT YOU MAY BE ENTITLED TO?

Briefly, the benefit is an "Improved Pension" for war veterans and/or their surviving spouse, with a documented medical need for assistance with their activities of daily living.

As of 2016 the maximum monthly benefit amounts for veterans were:

LINK TO VA WEBSITE FOR CURRENT RATES: https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/

Married Veteran = $2,120
Single Veteran = $1,788
Surviving Spouse = $1,149

ELIDGIBILITY CRITERIA:

There are four areas that the VA will look at when determining the amount of benefits you may be eligible for:

Military - Years of Service / service during WAR (DD-214)
Medical Need - documented by a licensed physician
Income - current income to support your daily and medical care needs
Assets

The criteria for eligibility is the veteran must have served at least 90 days active duty, with 1 of those days during a federally identified wartime, documented by DD214 or discharge papers. The medical need will be documented by a VA Medical Exam, which will need to be completed and signed off on by a licensed doctor (or the facility doctor). You will need to have records of his/her monthly income from social security and pensions, if any, and the monthly expenses for his/her care.

HERE ARE THE DOCUMENTS YOU WILL NEED TO GET STARTED:

Copy of most recent social security statement
Copy of most recent pension statement/s, if any
Discharge/Separation Papers or DD214 for veteran
Copy of Marriage Certificate - if you are a surviving spouse of a vet.
Copy of Death Certificate - if you are a surviving spouse of a vet.

HERE ARE THE FORMS YOU WILL NEED TO SUBMIT TO COMPLETE THE CLAIM:

VBA 21 534 EZ - Spouse Application - will detail the veteran and claimant information,
VBA 21 0845 Privacy Form - will authorize the VA to speak directly with you regarding the status of this claim,
VA 21 2680 - Medical Exam to be completed by the doctor, as well as a Med Exam help form
VBA 21 0779 - Care Provider Statement - to be completed by the licensed Assisted Living Facility or care giver attesting to the services they provide for her.
General Care Provider Statement- this explains they types of services that are available to the claimant should they be needed

FREE ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE TO COMPLETE YOUR VA BENEFIT FORMS:

If you find you need help when completing the forms, you have several options for free assistance. You can make an appointment with your local Veteran's Administration Office, or if you are a member, contact the American Legion, or Veterans of Foreign Wars. The latter two groups have volunteers trained to assist.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

Once you have everything together, and the applications are signed respectively (the surviving spouse will sign the 21-534, & 21-0845, the doctor will sign off on the med exam, and the facility or care provider will sign the care statements), you'll want to follow the mailing instructions (which is the last attachment).

After you submit, you should receive an acknowledgement response within 30 days. If you do not, or if you ever want to check on the status of the claim, you can contact the Pension Center directly at: 877-294-6380.

We hope that this information will make applying for our loved one's VA benefits a little less stressful for you and your family.

HOW TO GET A FREE COPY OF YOUR DD-214: