Elder law: Veterans benefits may help take care of Mom
Mrs. Williams is an elderly widow living in the home in which she and her husband raised their children many years ago. After the death of her husband three years ago, Mrs. Williams continues to get by on her own, but now faces daily challenges with performing routine tasks around the house.
Her primary concern is to remain in the home and neighborhood that she knows and loves for as long as possible. However, on a recent visit, her daughter, Judy, realized that Mrs. Williams needs the ongoing assistance of another person to maintain a safe living environment.
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While Mrs. Williams appreciates her daughter's sacrifice to assist her, she feels guilty about Judy's decision to put her life on hold. She would like to pay Judy for her services, but her Social Security check and small pension from her late husband's employer are just enough to pay her own bills. In addition, she has limited savings that she needs to preserve for emergencies.
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Mrs. Williams' husband served in the Army in World War II, was never injured in combat and was honorably discharged. Fortunately, there is a program through the Veterans Administration for widows of wartime veterans called Aid and Attendance.
Aid and Attendance is available to Mrs. Williams because she requires the daily assistance of another person to perform her "activities of daily living." In this situation, Mrs. Williams could be reimbursed by the VA up to $1,056 per month to pay her daughter for taking care of her. This income is not taxable to Mrs. Williams. However, she is required to use it to pay her daughter from this benefit for these services, and Judy must report the payment as income to her.
As a result, Judy will receive some compensation for her services, which will help her to be able to care for her mother, and replace some of the income she has lost by either having to quit her job or reduce her hours at work.
The Aid and Attendance benefit is an often underutilized option for many wartime veterans and their widows because they are unaware of their eligibility or they believe that the veteran had to be injured in combat to receive any compensation.
There are several qualification factors to consider.
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While the widow of a wartime veteran may receive up to $1,056 per month under the current payment rates, a single veteran may receive up to $1,644 per month and a married veteran can receive up to $1,949 per month. These benefits can provide a substantial income stream that makes the difference between barely making ends meet and a comfortable transition for the senior who needs increasing levels of care. Continued
What are Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits?
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