Anyone who applies knowing at the time they haven't the need as they can afford their care etc. should think about their brothers and sisters who can't as well as the long underfunded Veterans Administration, especially as we send new generations into wars, of choice, while the country doesn't demand their own sacrifice for the wars but especially for the decades to come results from!
June 8, 2012 - Federal investigators this week urged Congress to crack down on a veteran's benefit that South Florida seniors are tapping to pay for assisted living and other care.
The report by the Government Accountability Office, released Wednesday at a Senate Special Committee on Aging hearing, said financial planners and attorneys are helping undeserving wealthy elders qualify for what's called the Aid and Attendance pension by hiding their assets.
But some working with seniors question if reforms might keep the money out of the hands of veterans who need it, instead of curtailing abuse.
They say the vast majority of those applying for the pension have modest incomes, and often can't afford care if they grow too frail to care for themselves. Approval already can take from four months to a year, and more restrictions could make the wait longer.
"My clients are not millionaires. They are middle-class people who are scared to death of running out of money," said Alice Reiter-Feld, a South Florida elder-law attorney who sometimes includes the benefit in veterans' estate planning.
Alene Tarter, director of benefits and assistance for the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs, is concerned that veterans unknowingly could put their benefits at risk depending on what new regulations might be passed.
"You could have a veteran, possibly with dementia, being told by a financial company, 'Just sign here and I'll get you a pension,' " she said. "The veteran doesn't understand and signs. The VA finds out it's an improper transfer, comes back and severs the veteran's pension."
Aid and Attendance, administered through the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, can give a frail or disabled veteran and spouse up to about $23,400 annually toward care and housing. Eligibility is based on the age of the veteran, level of disability, income, out-of-pocket medical expenses and assets. read more>>>
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