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Benefits For Older Veterans And Their FamiliesThe United States Veterans Administration (VA) offers a broad range of services for veterans of all ages. Unfortunately, some services are underused because many older veterans and their families do not realize these services exist or that they may qualify. They don't apply for VA benefits even though factors such as low income, disability, or war-time service may have made them eligible. Perhaps, when younger, they used VA education benefits or had a VA home loan while thinking that only veterans with service-related injuries would qualify for other services. Requirements for benefits have changed from time to time. Some benefits today do not require a service-related injury, although they may require copayments for veterans whose family income and assets exceed the annual limit for no-cost service. Ask about these benefits and whether there are others that may apply:
Finding VA Resources and Getting Help in Applying There is a Booklet entitled "Florida Veterans' Benefits Guide" which can be downloaded here (note - it is a large file and may take some time to download): /aging/flveteransguide2.08.pdf Information on VA benefits or a VA Medical Center serving your area can be found by calling toll-free 1-800-827-1000 or visiting the national Veterans Administration web site, www.va.gov. Pinellas County, Florida, has the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in the St. Petersburg (South Pinellas) area, the St. Petersburg Regional VA Office, a VA outpatient clinic in North Pinellas, and the Bay Pines National Cemetery. There are several VA outpatient clinics in Pasco County. For exact locations of facilities in any state, click on the Facility Locator on the Veterans Administration web site. The Veterans Administration web site explains various types of benefits and provides online forms. To locate a VA nursing home in Florida, visit the Florida Department of Veterans Affairs web site, www.Floridavets.org. An alternative way to find this site is to go to the Florida state web site, www.myflorida.com. Click on Find an Agency at the top of the home page, then on Veterans' Affairs. The Baldomero Lopez Veterans' Nursing Home is located in Land o' Lakes in Pasco County, Florida. This is a 120 bed facility with 60 beds dedicated to serving mobile Alzheimer's patients. To be eligible, a veteran must have been a Florida resident for at least one year, honorably discharged, and need nursing care. Costs vary depending on income. Veterans, widows, and dependents can receive counseling and assistance in filing claims for a wide variety of VA benefits from a local County Department of Veterans Services Office. For information on locations and contact information in Pasco and Pinellas County, Florida, look up "Veterans" in the printed Senior Resource Directory, or call the Senior Helpline of the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas, Inc. at 727-217-8111 in Pinellas or toll-free 1-800-861-8111 in Pasco. General Eligibility for VA Benefits Eligibility for most VA benefits is based upon discharge from active military service under other than dishonorable conditions. Honorable and general discharges qualify a veteran for most VA benefits. Dishonorable and bad conduct discharges issued by general courts-martial bar VA benefits. VA regional offices can clarify eligibility of prisoners and parolees. Active service means full-time service as a member of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard, or as a commissioned officer of the Public Health Service, the Environmental Services Administration or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Women veterans are eligible for the same VA benefits as male veterans. Additional services and benefits for women veterans are gender-specific and include breast and pelvic examinations and other general reproductive health-care services. Preventive health care provided includes counseling, contraceptive services, menopause management, Pap smears and mammography, Referrals are made for services that VA is unable to provide. Respite Care The Bay Pines VA Healthcare System in Pinellas County, Florida, provides respite care for veterans who are inrolled and currently seeing a Primary Care provider withing the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System that have an unpaid caregiver. Up to 12 days of custodial care is provided at the Center as often as once every six months. For other areas of the United States, check with the VA Medical Center serving your area. A Facility Locator is found on the Veterans Administration web site, www.va.gov. Medical Care Certain VA benefits require wartime service. Under the law, VA recognizes these war periods:
To receive health care, veterans generally must be enrolled with the VA. A veteran may apply for enrollment at any time. Veterans do not have to be enrolled if they: (1) have a service-connected disability of 50% or more; (2) want care for disability, which the military determined was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty, but which VA has not yet rated, during the 12 month period following discharge: or (3) want care for a service-connected disability only. Veterans will be enrolled to the extent Congressional appropriations allow. If appropriations are limited, enrollment will occur based on the following priorities: 1. Veterans with service-connected conditions rated 50% or more disabled. 2. Veterans with service-connected conditions rated 30 or 40 % disabled. 3. Veterans who are former POWs or were awarded a Purple Heart, veterans with disabilities rated 10 and 20%, and veterans awarded special eligibility for disabilities incurred in treatment. 4. Veterans who are receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits and veterans who have been determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled. 5. Nonservice-connected veterans and service-connected veterans rated zero percent, noncompensable disabled, who are determined to be unable to defray the expenses of needed care. 6. Nonservice-connected veterans and noncompensable zero percent service-connected veterans who agree to pay copayments. The Veterans' Millennium Health Care and Benefits Act of 1999 authorized VA to expand long-term care services and to reimburse emergency treatment expenses for certain enrolled veterans. Veterans who want to enroll in priority group 5 based on their inability to defray the cost of their care must provide VA with information on their annual income and net worth to determine whether they are below the "means test" threshold or agree to copayment requirements. The threshold is adjusted annually and announced in January. In making the assessment, the veteran's household income is considered. The "means test" eligibility assessment includes income such as Social security, U.S. Civil Service retirement, U.S. Railroad retirement, military retirement, unemployment insurance, any other retirement income, total wages from all employers, interest and dividends, workers' compensation, black lung benefits and any other gross income for the calendar year prior to application for care. Also considered are assets such as the market value of stocks, bonds, notes, individual retirement accounts, bank deposits, savings accounts and cash. The patient may fill out VA form 10-10EZ at the time application for enrollment is made. VA may compare income information provided by the veteran with information obtained from the Social Security Administration and the Internal Revenue Service. After a veteran completes a financial assessment that determines the veteran's income and assets are above the "means test" threshold, the veteran must agree to pay copayments to be eligible for VA care. VA holds older patients whose income is determined to be above the "means test" threshold responsible for the Medicare deductible for the first 90 days of care during any 365-day period. For each additional 90 days of hospital care , the patient is charged one-half the Medicare deductible. Less than 10% of service connected veterans may be subjected to an extended co-pay after 21 days of free care. In addition to these charges, the patient is charged copays for hospital care and VA nursing-home care. VA is authorized to submit claims to health insurance carriers for recovery of VA's reasonable charges in providing medical care to nonservice-connected veterans and to service-connected veterans for nonservice connected conditions. All veterans applying for VA medical care will be asked to provide information on their health insurance coverage, including coverage provided under policies of their spouses. Although veterans are not responsible for paying any remaining balance of VA's insurance claim that is not paid or covered by their health insurance, veterans whose income is above the "means test" threshold are responsible for the VA's copayments required by federal law. However, when VA receives payment from the veteran's health insurance company or the care furnished, VA credits that recovery toward the amont of the veteran's copayment obligation. Disability Compensation VA disability compensation is a monetary benefit paid to veterans who are disabled by injury or disease incurred and aggravated during active military service. The service of the veteran must have been terminated through separation or discharge under conditions that were other than dishonorable. Disability compensation varies with the degree of disability and the number of dependents. It is paid monthly. The benefits are not subject to federal and state income tax. The payment of military retirement pay, disability severance pay and separation incentive payments affects the amount of VA compensation paid. Former prisoners of war who were incarcerated for at least 30 days are presumed to be eligible for disability compensation if they become at least 10 percent disabled from diseases associated with POW's. These presumptive diseases are avitaminosis, beriberi, heart disease and ischemic heart disease where the prisoner of war experienced localized edema during capitivity, chronic dysentery, helminthiasis. Malnutrition including optic atrophy, pellagra and other nutritional deficiencies, psychosis, anxiety states and dysthymic disorder or depressive neurosis, post traumatic osteoarthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, peptic ulcer, and arthritis, neuropathy and skin cancer at the site of the old injury. Nonservice-connected Disability Veterans with low incomes who are permanently and totally disabled for reasons other than the veteran's own willful misconduct may be eligible for monetary support if they have 90 days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was during a period of war. The discharge from active must have been under conditions other than dishonorable. Payments are made to qualified veterans to bring their total income, including other retirement or Social Security income, to level set by Congress. Countable income may be reduced by unreimbursed medical expenses. The payment is reduced by the amount of the countable income of the veteran and the income of the spouse or dependent children. When a veteran without a spouse or a child is being furnished a nursing home or domiciliary care by VA, the pension is reduced to an amount not to exceed $90 per month after three calendar months of care. The reduction may be delayed if nursing home care is being continued for the primary purpose of providing the veteran with rehabilitation services. Aid and Attendance A veteran who is a patient in a nursing home, who is otherwise determined by VA to be in need of the regular aid and attendance of another person, or who is permanently housebound is entitled to higher income limitations and additional benefits.** Veterans receiving Disability Compensation or Nonservice-connected Pension may qualify for Aid and Attendance. Burial Benefits Five burial benefits are available for veterans who were honorably discharged:
Death Pension Death pension is a benefit paid to eligible spouses and dependent children of deceased veterans who served during war times. Income limits must be below a yearly limit set by law, and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is not counted as part of income. This benefit can be important to a widow or widower trying to survive on a low income, but they may not be aware that they should apply. For counseling and help in applying for death pension or other VA benefits, call or visit your local County Veterans Service Office. See Finding VA Resources and Getting Help in Applying above. |
