Dear Commander Bun Bun,
My grandfather is a veteran who may be eligible for Veterans Aid and Attendance. What does it cover and what is not covered by it?
Thanks for your help!
Aidan Atendans
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Dear Aidan,
The Aid and Attendance benefit helps veterans to offset the high cost of medical care and access care that they otherwise might not have been able to obtain.
If your grandfather is eligible, Aid & Attendance will pay for the following:
● Assistance with Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) including help with bathing or showering, dressing, eating, toileting, and transferring. Note that as defined by the VA, “transferring” means “an individual’s moving himself or herself, such as getting in and out of bed.”
● Medical expenses includes all payments made to a home health care provider or assisted living facility for medical care, including: “meals and lodging, if the primary reason for the veteran or surviving spouse to be in the facility is to receive health care services or custodial care that the facility provides. Otherwise, only payments for assistance with health care or custodial care are medical expenses.” The medical expense calculation can include “a veteran’s dependent spouse, a veteran’s dependent or surviving child, and other relatives of the claimant who are members or constructive members of the claimant’s household whose medical expenses are deductible.”
Expenses that Aid & Attendance will not pay for include:
● “Generally, payments to facilities such as independent living facilities are not medical expenses.”
● As far as the VA is concerned, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) that will not be covered by Aid & Attendance include: “Shopping, food preparation, housekeeping, laundering, managing finances, handling medications, using the telephone, and transportation for non-medical purposes.
Here at the Farr Law Firm, we work with veterans and their spouses to evaluate whether they qualify for the Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit and/or Medicaid, and we deal with all the paperwork. As an Accredited Attorney with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Certified Elder Law Attorney, Mr. Farr understands both the Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit and the Medicaid program and the interaction between both benefit programs. Suggest to your grandfather that he make an appointment with Mr. Farr to discuss and apply for Veteran’s Aid and Attendance.
Hop this is helpful!
Commander Bun Bun
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