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Department of Veterans Affairs Accredited Attorney

VA disability pension is a benefit paid to wartime veterans who have limited or no income, and who are 65 or older, or, if under 65, who are permanently and totally disabled due to non-service connected conditions. VA disability pension is unlike traditional pensions which are based on years of employment or service with a company or organization. Veterans who are more seriously disabled may qualify for increased benefits based on Aid and Attendance or being housebound.

Widows/widowers and dependent children may also qualify for death pension benefits, which is a needs based benefit paid to an unremarried surviving spouse, or an unmarried child of a deceased wartime veteran.

VA Benefits- Are you Missing Out?

 VA Benefits are like dining out where you have a coupon for a free dinner if you pay for one dinner, and then forgetting you have that coupon. 

The Veteran has already paid but may forget or not realize he or she has something more coming. 

The VA benefits may be in your pocket if you just qualify for them and then apply for them. 

Wouldn’t it be nice if your Mom or Dad could find a coupon worth an extra $1,094 to $2019 each month to help pay for the assisted living bill?

Two of these benefits the veteran may be entitled to include a VA Disability Pension, or VA Disability Compensation, two different benefits.  The VA Disability Pension is paid to wartime veteran who has limited or no income, and who is at least 65, or who is permanently and totally disabled.  The VA Disability Compensation is paid to a veteran because of injuries or diseases that happened while on active duty, or were made worse by active military service. It is also paid to certain veterans disabled from VA health care.

Veterans who are more seriously disabled may qualify for increased benefits based on Aid and Attendance or being Housebound. 

The veteran’s survivors also may be entitled to benefits such as VA Dependents Compensation.  This is a benefit payable to survivors of a serviceman or woman who died while on active duty or died from service-related disability.  Survivors also are entitled if the veteran was receiving 100% disability compensation at time of death. 

Other benefits for survivors include a VA Death Pension, a VA Parents Pension, and other compensation for specific needs such as burial expenses, clothing allowance, and other needs. 

Future articles will discuss eligibility and qualification for benefits; what we do to help folks qualify for them; and integrating VA benefits with Medicaid planning.

    It’s best to know about these things sooner rather than later:

A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like: “We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard.  We rode our pony.  We picked wild raspberries in the woods.”  The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this all in.  At last she said, “I sure wish I’d gotten to know you sooner!”

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