October 24, 2018 by
Oftentimes, families make the assumption that so long as their senior loved one is covered by Medicare, covering the cost for care at home is not an issue they need to give consideration to. Regrettably, however, this is a prevalent misconception. As we shared in a previous blog post, most people use private funds to cover the cost for care at home. There are several possibilities to investigate though for veterans and their spouses. As the top experts in home care in Syracuse NY, At Home Independent Living outlines the facts to help those who have served in the military to acquire all of the resources available to them to cover the cost for care at home.
First to consider is the Veterans’ Aid and Attendance program, which aids wartime veterans and/or their spouses in paying for care at home, as long as they meet the distinct qualifications required to receive these benefits. The person applying must:
- Have received an honorable or general discharge
- Have physician’s orders stating he or she is in need of the aid and assistance of others daily
- Meet specific financial criteria
- Have served one 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 may also qualify for Housebound to cover the cost for their home care services. Housebound is a benefit that is paid in addition to a monthly pension. Veterans who qualify for Housebound benefits:
- Have a single permanent disability that has been assessed 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 one single permanent disability assessed as 100 percent disabling AND, yet another disability, or disabilities, assessed as 60 percent or more disabling.
Legal guidelines state that veterans cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits together, and they must be receiving a monthly pension in order to meet the requirements for either one of these additional benefits.
If you’d like to find out if your senior loved one may qualify for Veterans’ Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits, the professionals in home care in Syracuse NY at At Home Independent Living are always available to work with you to look into all your options for funding the in-home senior care your loved one needs. You can reach us at (315) 579-HOME (4663) or contact us online to learn more about our services and the help available to veterans for paying for care at home.