CINCINNATI — Home Helpers, a national senior in-home care franchise, has partnered with Veterans Care Coordination (VCC) to help qualifying veterans and surviving spouses receive the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Pension with Aid and Attendance Benefit.
“What many veterans and their spouses don’t realize is they may be eligible for up to $24,648 per year of tax-free money to pay for home care services,” Home Helpers president Emma Dickison says.
The benefit helps to cover medical expenses, including home care services such as bathing, dressing, feeding and personal hygiene.
“What makes this partnership unique is the fact that we can offer interest-free loan assistance to Home Helpers clients that cannot afford up-front, out-of-pocket expenses for home care,” Veterans Care Coordination president Kyle Laramie says. “Our experts guide clients through the complicated application process, making it less stressful.” VCC simplifies the process by pre-screening clients for eligibility and gathering the required documentation.
According to VA.gov, the average qualifying veteran can receive as much as $1,732 a month, while a qualifying surviving spouse can receive up to $1,113 a month. The average qualifying couple can receive up to $2,054 a month. A healthy veteran with a sick spouse can receive up to $1,360 a month, and a veteran married to a veteran can receive as much as $2,676 a month.
“I paid out of pocket for my own parents’ care because I found the application process too overwhelming and complicated,” said Mark Thommerson, owner of Home Helpers & Direct Link in Corsicana, Texas. “When my franchise partnered with VCC, I decided to try applying again with their help. We began the process in April and received VA benefits by August. The VCC made it easy and understandable for my family, so I feel confident offering their expertise to my clients.”
Thommarson is currently providing home care for eight clients who qualify for the benefit, and another seven who are pending approval.
 to help qualifying veterans and surviving spouses receive the Department of Veterans Affairs' Pension with Aid and Attendance Benefit.){kind=link}
I love it when organizations publish misleading information. The money they are talking about is for the Veteran with one dependent. This is all the money they have to live off of. If between the two people they make $40,000 a year but home care is $75,000, yes they will get the whole $24,676. This means that they will have a deficit of a little over $10,000 each year just on home care. This doesn’t include paying for food, electricity etc.. If the couple sells their $250,000 home (all paid for), then they will not be eligible for the money. The VA doesn’t count the home, but only allows for $80,000 and assests. After all the moneys are used up, the veteran will probably have to go into a mediciad paid for nursing home and the dependent will have to starve. The VA is very generous in allowing the veteran to keep $90 a month. I don’t know about you, but I don’t believe that anyone can live off of $90. If you say the individual appies for assistance, then this money is deducted form the VA money.
Last, but not least, every year the veteran will have to provide financial information to qualify for this. The spouse can not sign for the veteran (even if they have a power-of-attorney. The VA has to declare the veteran incompentent and assign a Fudicuary and they can sign all documents.
It would be better for the veteran to apply for bilateral hearing loss and tinnitus (since prior to 1972 the services didn’t provide hearing protection – except the Air Force and then only from 1964). The advocate should also file for Individual Unemployability and A&A with it and they can get up to $8,059 a month (and they don’t need to verify income every year).