Using Veterans’ Aid & Attendance for Senior Home Care Services

At All Care In-Home Care Solutions, we often hear from families that they assumed that as long as their loved one is covered by Medicare, all the costs for home care would be covered. Unfortunately, though, this is a common myth. As we outlined in a previous blog post, most families use private funds in paying for care at home for a senior loved one. There are, however, several alternatives to consider for veterans and their spouses. All Care In-Home Care Solutions, providers of top-rated senior services in Medford, Oregon and the surrounding areas, shares the details to help those who have served in the military to access all of the resources available to them in covering the cost of home care services.

The first program to explore is the Veterans’ Aid and Attendance program, which helps wartime veterans and/or their spouses to pay for care in the home, as long as they meet the specific requirements to receive these benefits. The person applying for the benefit must:

• Have received an honorable or general discharge
• Have doctor’s orders stating he or she needs the aid and assistance of others daily
• Meet specific financial requirements
• Have served 1 day during an active war and had no less than 90 days of service
• Be the surviving spouse of a veteran to obtain spousal benefits

Certain veterans are also able to apply for Housebound to pay for their home care services. Housebound is a benefit that is paid over and above a veteran’s monthly pension. Veterans who are qualified to receive Housebound benefits:

• Have a single permanent disability that has been evaluated as 100 percent disabling AND, due to such disability, the veteran is permanently and substantially confined to his or her home, OR,
• He or she has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100 percent disabling AND, another disability, or disabilities, evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

Regulations state that veterans are not able to receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits together, and they must also be receiving a monthly pension in order to be eligible for either of these additional benefits.

If you’d like to determine if your senior loved one may qualify for Veterans’ Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits, the senior services experts at All Care In-Home Care Solutions are always available to work with you to explore all your options for covering the cost of the home care your loved one needs. You can call us at (541) 857-9195 or contact us online to learn more about the help available to veterans for paying for care at home. To view our full home care service area, click here.