A Veteran With PTSD May Be Eligible For Aid And Attendance Benefit If He Requires Full-Time Home Care
For a senior veteran suffering from PTSD, it may be difficult to stay active and involved in various activities. Depending on the age and severity of the post-traumatic stress disorder, that veteran may benefit from a home care aide.
Some veterans, though, may not be able to afford a home care aide on their own, and if they’re considered wartime service members (men and women who served active duty during a time when the United States was officially engaged in combat somewhere in the world), they may be eligible for financial assistance through the Aid and Attendance pension benefit.
Which veterans would qualify?
First and foremost, a veteran under 65 would need to be considered completely disabled — meaning he or she is unable to take care of themselves and requires assistance for almost all basic tasks of everyday life — in order to be eligible for Aid and Attendance financial benefits.
Veterans 65 and over would not need to be completely disabled, but their doctor would have to recommend home care for assistance with Activities of Daily Living. Whether this assistance is necessary all day or even every day is not the issue, but a doctor’s recommendation is crucial.
Also, for veterans who served any time of their active duty service during World War II, the Korean War, or the Vietnam War, their minimum time of service needs to be 90 days. If they served any time during the Gulf War, they must have served at least two years of active duty.
Finally, a veteran’s income and assets must be limited. There is a threshold that the combined income and assets cannot exceed, but there are certain circumstances the approval committee may take into account that will vary from one veteran to the next.
Many veterans become confused about income and assets, but a primary residence and other assets that cannot be quickly converted into cash are generally not calculated in the total.
Veterans who may qualify should apply as soon as possible.
Due to various administrative challenges throughout the Veteran’s Administration, it could take many months for Aid and Attendance approval to be granted. While they do provide reimbursement for home care services received while the application is pending, that only counts for those veterans who are ultimately approved for this pension.
Veterans who are struggling with PTSD may have difficulty taking care of themselves and if they qualify, the Aid and Attendance pension program can be a wonderful asset that allows them to receive home care.