Veterans Benefits

 

While the Veteran's Administration (VA) offers numerous benefits programs to veterans, there are two programs that can greatly improve the lives of elderly veterans in need of medical assistance and care that do not require the veteran to have a service-related disability.  EPS' dedicated staff and network of professionals provide counseling to veterans on their rights to these and other public benefits.

Improved Pension Benefit (IPB) Program

Perhaps the most underutilized veteran's program is the VA's Improved Pension Benefit (IPB) Program.  Unfortunately, you will see no billboards or hear any radio advertisements informing veterans or their spouses that they may be entitled to receive this important benefit.  The IPB benefits can be used by a veteran and/or their surviving spouse to help finance the costs incurred for in-home medical care, assisted living facility costs, and nursing home costs.

The eligibility requirements for the IPB Program are dramatically different than other VA programs. As a result, many veterans believe that they are not eligible for the IPB Program or simply do not fully understand the eligibility requirements.

The IPB Program has three tiers of benefits, including the "Basic Pension" benefit, the "Housebound" benefit, and the "Aid and Attendance" benefit.  Each tier has its own eligibility requirements and benefits limits. 

All three benefits require the veteran to have served at least 90 days, with the service period occurring during one or more of the following wartimes:

• World War II: December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
• Korean War: June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
• Vietnam War: August 5, 1964 (February 28, 1961, for veterans who served "in country" before August 5, 1964), through May 7, 1975
• Gulf War: August 2, 1990 through a date to be set by law of Presidential Proclamation

The veteran does not need to have a service-related disability, does not need to have retired from the military, and does not have to have been in combat.

The Basic Pension benefit does not require any physical disability.  However, the Housebound and Aid and Attendance benefits require the veteran and/or the veteran's spouse to be in need of regular attendance by another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing, or toileting to receive additional monetary benefits.  Physical disability can also be established by showing that the person is blind, or a resident of an assisted living facility or nursing home because of a mental or physical incapacity. 

All three benefits require the veteran and/or veteran's spouse to have "countable income" less than the allowable pension amount (according to the applicable tier) to be eligible for all or a portion of the pension. "Countable Income" is the  amount of income a veteran and/or their spouse receives each year, after deducting all un-reimbursed, recurring health care expenses. This includes assisted living costs, home health care, insurance and Medicare premiums, on-going pharmacy costs and more. If you have a dependent, their health care costs can also be used to reduce your countable income (however, the spousal income then must also be added into the equation).

The VA does not provide a set figure for determining whether a veteran and/or veteran's spouse meet the VA's "net worth" test.  However, the net worth test boils down to a determination by the VA that your net worth is such that it will probably not support you through the remainder of your life. The VA does not include primary residence or vehicles when determining net worth.

The Basic Pension benefit provides the lowest monthly benefit, while the Aid and Attendance pension benefit offers the highest monthly benefit.  An eligible single veteran can receive a maximum monthly benefit ranging from $911 to $1,519. If an eligible veteran is married, the maximum monthly benefits can range from $1,193 to $1,801.  The maximum monthly benefits for the surviving spouse of an eligible veteran range from $611 to $976, unless the surviving spouse has a dependent, in which case the maximum monthly benefits are greater.

EPS' dedicated staff provides counseling concerning the IPB Program, including counseling on opportunities to qualify sooner and how to receive larger benefits.  If you have been denied IPB or other VA benefits, EPS' network of professionals can assist you with your appeal rights. 

Nursing Home (NH) Program

While the IPB benefits are an excellent financial resource that can assist a senior to remain at home or in an assisted living facility, the IPB Program is usually insufficient if a senior requires nursing home level care, because the costs for such care, on average, exceed $6,000 per month.  

A veteran may be eligible for the VA Nursing Home (NH) Program. This program has the same net worth test as the IPB Program.  Unfortunately, there are very few veterans facilities in the state and the number of available beds in those facilities is also limited.  The veteran facilities also suffer from a bad reputation in terms of the quality of the facility and the care provided.  In addition, the NH program typically allows you to keep fewer assets than does the Medicaid nursing home program. 

As a result, many people believe that it is better to explore the benefits offered under the Medicaid nursing home program. The rules for the Medicaid nursing home program are dramatically different from the VA IPB  and NH Programs.  Consequently, care must be exercised to ensure that any actions taken to qualify for the VA IPB or NH Programs do not adversely affect a senior's opportunity to qualify for Medicaid nursing home benefits in the future.  All too often, seniors and their families are advised to take certain actions to qualify for the IPB Program, such as gifting, which may assist the senior to qualify for the IPB Program, but which result in disqualification for Medicaid benefits.

In response to this dilemma, EPS has developed an Elder Transitions Plan™ that takes into account the competing interests and different eligibility rules for each program. This multi-stage "transitions plan" allows a senior to receive the necessary level of care and to make full use of all available programs, without the fear of precluding themselves from any one program. Our clients and their families find great peace of mind from having a plan of action in place ahead of time, rather than operating in "emergency mode", when something happens to them.