va aid & attendance seminar
DESCRIPTION
Presentation on VA Benefits given to the residents and friends of Mariposa in Georgetown, TXTRANSCRIPT
VA Aid & Attendance
BenefitMoire & Frank Hayes, Owners
301 Hester’s Crossing Suite 206B
Round Rock, TX 78681
512-388-4357
Senior Helpers: What We Do
• Provide Companionship and Personal Care
– Bathing, dressing, toileting , eating & walking
– Medication reminders
– Light housekeeping & meal planning
– Senior activities: walks, games, socializing
– Alzheimer’s & Dementia Care
• Work in the seniors home or facility; one-on-one
• Williamson, Travis, Burnet & Bell Counties
Senior Helpers’ Services
Companion Care
Personal Care
Respite Care
Live In
Peace of Mind
Surgery Assistance
Sitter Services
Who is Senior Helpers
• Locally Owned and Operated
– Moire Hayes , Owner & Dir. Of Client Services : • Background - Medical Patient Coordinator
Case Manager & Special Needs Teacher
– Frank Hayes, Owner & Dir. Of Operations• Former CEO & VP Marketing of multiple
high tech firms:
• Cabletron Systems, NitroSecurity, Single Digits, Inc.
• Navy Submarine Veteran
Why Senior Helpers?
• We’re Professional & Dependable
– We Care!• The senior is our client – not a patient
– We show up on time
– We do what we say will do
• We Hire DEPENDABLE & SAFE Staff
– Caregivers undergo a multi-interview process
– Thorough reference checks
– Continuous & thorough background checks
• We TRAIN Our Staff
– Quarterly Class Requirements
– Senior Helpers University
Aid & Attendance Benefit
• The Veterans Administration has multiple pension programs: Special Monthly Pension, Housebound and Aid & Attendance.
• If a Veteran or the surviving spouse of a Veteran has served at least 90 days or more on active duty with 1 day beginning or ending during a period of war they may be eligible for this VA non-service connected disability pension.
• In 2009: (Single Veteran/Married Veteran)– Pension = $11,830/$15,493
– Housebound = $14,457/$18,120
– Aid & Attendance = $19,728/$23,388
Why is the A&A Benefit Important
• Helps seniors pay for care privately…in-home, or in assisted living, or in a nursing home.
• Frees up cash flow for other purposes.
• Helps home care and assisted living facilities maintain more private pay clients for longer periods of time.
• Excellent community service.
• In combination with other financial strategies, can cover majority in-home long term care
services.
Who Qualifies
• Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of a caregiver to assist with:
• eating,
• bathing,
• dressing,
• transferring
• or taking care of the needs of nature
Who Qualifies
• This also includes individuals who are blind-
• or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity.
• Assisted care in an assisted living facility also qualifies.
• It is not a benefit for a person needing housekeeping or respite or part time care.
This most important benefit is overlooked by many families with Veterans or surviving spouses who need additional cash flow to help care for ailing parents or loved ones.
Who Qualifies
• Veterans must have served 1 day during an active war and had no less than a 90 day service.
• Surviving spouses must still have been married to the veteran when they passed.
• They must have a doctor’s order insisting they need the aid and attendance of a caregiver every day.
• They must have less then 80K in assets- even less if they are applying as a single person (not including their home or vehicles).
• IRAs and CDs are included as assets.
Who Qualifies
• Defined Periods of War
• WWI: 4/16/1917 to 11/11/1918
• WWII:12/7/1941 to 12/31/1946
• Korean Conflict: 6/27/1950 to 1/31/1955
• Vietnam Era: 8/5/1964 to 5/7/1975; for Veterans who served “in country” before 8/5/1964, then 2/28/1961 to 5/7/1975 is applicable.
• Gulf War: At least 24 months, 8/2/1990 until a date to be set by law or Presidential
Proclamation.
Who Qualifies
• Honorable discharge or general discharge under honorable conditions.
• Can choose where to live as long as it is a credible facility or community or home care company.
• May not qualify if they are on state assistance. (Medicaid or another subsidized program due to their low income).
Things to Keep in Mind
• It’s hard to speculate on what a family will experience while filing for A&A Special Pension.
• Each case is unique
• You can expect it will take 4-6 months for the application to be processed.
• Fortunately, all benefits are retro-dated back to the original filing date.
• It can be a challenge to get everything done quickly.
How Much is the Benefit?
• Up to $1,644 per month for a wartime veteran; OR
• Up to $1,056 per month for a surviving spouse; OR
• Up to $1,949 per month for a qualifying couple.
• Because of the A&A Special Pension, many veterans will not have to live out their lives in Medicaid or VA nursing homes.
• Instead, assisted living (or home care) will be an affordable option.
How Much is the Benefit?
• *Benefits start when the VA receives a packet, not when a senior begins home care or assisted living services. Getting your packet done and handed in quickly is crucial. Your loved one must be currently or close to receiving home care or living in an assisted living at the time they apply. They must have the debt of the costs to be in need of the benefit.
What Does the Process Involve?
• Pre-qualifying is a way to see if the applicant could get the benefit, but what the VA does not tell them is that qualifiers can change with different scenarios such as:
• * Older age
• * Too much savings
Benefit Example
• *Example: A 76 year old senior with 40K in savings (IRA's, CD's, Savings, and Annuity) may be a good candidate, but a 92 year old man may be considered to have enough money (due to the fact he is over life expectancy in the eyes of the VA.) Same goes for the married couples. 80K may be fine for 76 and 74 year old married couple, but in their upper 80's-90, you may want to consider the possibility of denial due to high savings.
Moving Assets to Qualify?
• The VA does not look back on what the Veteran had before they applied. (BUT MEDICAID DOES!)
• Problems can occur when an untrained financial advisor makes inappropriate annuity suggestions , or inadvertently ends up disqualifying a Veteran for Medicaid down the road- because of poor decision making on asset transfers . BE CAREFUL.
Application Process
• If a Veteran decides to apply, Senior Helpers can provide all of the forms needed.
• The Veteran must locate the following documents:
• Discharge papers
• Marriage license (for marriage of surviving spouses)
• Death certificates (for surviving spouses) • *** Cannot stress enough how important it is to obtain the claimant’s medical
records from their doctors office. This will make it much easier for the VA adjudicator to make a decision when they receive the application. If the records are not included they will send away for these records and that takes TIME! Also, include proof of income like bank statements or social security statements .
Application Process
• Only the claimant/senior signs the paperwork.
• VA does not recognize a power of attorney to sign for the claimant. If that is not possible, have them sign an “X”; and follow the witness instructions.
• Make sure everything is correct when you mail it off to the REGIONAL OFFICE in your state.
EXAMPLE
• Income $2000 /month. Medical expenses (includes PVT health care, and other medical costs paid out of pocket, RX, DR co pays, insurances, nursing home costs, eye glasses, dentist, and so on) $2000. Income here is zero, full benefit should be awarded. Always list all of your medical expenses creating as much a deficit as possible to show the VA you are in financial hardship due to your medical expense vs. your income. Better to play it safe! The VA does make the final decision. Savings reported are what was recommended and at or under the amount in the “Safe Zone”
Application Process
• Claimant signed
• All copies of discharge papers, marriage, death cert., and medical history provided by MD office, proof of income (bank statements, block out account numbers) is all there.
• Big envelope and an address to the REGIONAL OFFICE IN THE STATE WHERE THE CLAIMANT LIVES only.
• Do not send these documents to any other location. Send delivery certified so they can track the package.
• Remember, if the VA loses it, they will have to submit a new application but now the senior can prove they sent one and the VA will have to retro-date it back.
• Make a copy of the file to keep for that purpose.
Application Process
• The Veteran should receive a courtesy letter in about 4-6 weeks from the VA stating they have received their application and are working on it.
• If they do not get the letter call Senior Helpers.
• Also, if someone else is calling for the claimant, make sure they filed a 21-22a.
• Have the veterans social security number available.
• The VA still may not speak with a representative but be persistent or have the claimant present.
• Just make sure the 21-22A is filed!
Application Process
• The Veteran will receive a few correspondences from the VA. Some will make no sense.
• These letters can be erroneous and sometimes ask them for things they already submitted.
• They still need to address it because it’s worth it!
• Be persistent and vigilant.
Application Process
• If all goes well, they will receive a letter saying “Benefits have been awarded” in the average time of 6 months with a date when the benefits will begin!
• Success!
• However, if they have found the claimant to be “Incompetent” due to extreme dementia or Alzheimer's, they may withhold the benefit until a fiduciary is set in place.
TIP: Reverse Mortgage
Consider the use of Reverse Mortgage proceeds (takes about 30 days or less) to fill in the blanks on the private pay cash flow until the VA benefit kicks in. Or use in combination with the VA Benefit!
Web: www.seniorhelpers.com
Blog: http://seniorhelperscentraltexas.blogspot.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/SeniorHelpersTX
In-Home Senior Care
512-388-4357
Email: [email protected]