Birmingham Veteran Benefits — Welcome Birmingham Christian Family Magazine Readers

You are probably here because you saw our advertisement in the Birmingham Christian Family Magazine about veteran (VA) benefits.  We are glad you are here and want you to know you are in the right place to find out your family’s rights and options with using VA benefits — which can be nearly $25,000 a year tax free to pay for home health, assisted living, or nursing home care for your parents.

If you want to receive our free information packet on this VA benefit — you can call us at 205-879-2447 and let the receptionist know you want to speak to Carolyn to receive the VA packet or you can fill out the form below to do so.

If you would like to talk to us directly now by phone or in a meeting, call the same number (205-879-2447) and let Carolyn know you would like to go over your situation and set up a call or meeting.

Our normal consultation fee is $500 but we will waive that since you are calling us in response to the ad in the magazine.

You are also welcome to read the following common questions and our answers as you decide if you would like to receive, for free, our information on this valuable benefit.

What is the VA Pension or Aid & Attendance Benefit?

This benefit is for veterans who are war time veterans, or surviving spouses of war time veterans, who now find themselves in need of care.

War time veteran means your parent was active duty during a time of war:

• World War Two (December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946.  (If in Service on December 31, 1946 with continuous Service before July 7, 1946, then this qualifies as wartime service.)
• Korean War – June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
• Vietnam War – There are two periods:  For veterans who served in the country of Vietnam, the period is February 28, 1961 through May 7, 1975.  This is sometimes called “in country” when the veteran was actually in Vietnam.  For veterans who did not actually go into Vietnam, the time period is August 5, 1964 through May 5, 1975.

How Do I Know if My Parent Qualifies for this Benefit?

If your father (or mother if she is the veteran) received an honorable discharge and had 90 days of active duty (with at least one during a war as defined above) then they qualify under the military requirements.  For surviving spouses (who have not remarried) we still look to the veteran for the military requirements.

Next we look at whether the veteran (or surviving spouse) is in need of care.  The VA has, as a practical matter, two levels of care:

• Housebound and
• Aid and attendance.

The basic idea of “housebound” is your parent the veteran (or surviving spouse) cannot come and go freely from their home.  It does not mean your father or mother is trapped at home and can never leave — but simply that they need someone to take them because they cannot drive due to health conditions.

“Aid and attendance” means your parent needs help with the “activities of daily living” which include:

• Dressing
• Bathing
• Going to the bathroom
• Cooking/feeding
• Handling financial matters
• Mobility issues (walking/driving)
• And in general being able to stay safe by themselves

This does not mean they need to be helpless but instead that they need help.  Maybe due to a paralysis your mother can’t fully dress herself — she needs the “aid and attendance” of another to dress.

Maybe your father has dementia and has to be reminded to take a bath or to go to the bathroom.  Once there, he can take care of himself.  Again, not helpless but needing the help of someone else.

What does this Benefit Pay?

The benefit pays up to $2054 a month to a veteran who is married or has one dependent.  This is close to $25,000 a year.

For a single veteran the amount is $1732 a month which is a bit more than $20,000 a year.

A widow of a wartime veteran can receive $1113 a month which is slightly more than $13,000 a year.

This benefit is paid directly to your parents and is tax free.

How Do We Use this Benefit to Help My Parents?

This money is normally used to pay for sitters or caregivers.  Or perhaps your parents are needing to go to an assisted living facility (or already have gone) but the concern is over how to pay the bill every month.  This VA benefit can make this possible.

Or even if your parent is in a nursing home or needs to go to a nursing home, and Alabama Medicaid is not an option right now, this benefit can help pay for the nursing home.

How Do I Get More Information?

The easiest way is to pick up the phone and call us anytime at 205-879-2447 and ask to speak to Carolyn.  Tell her you saw our ad and you would like the free information package on VA benefits.  We’ll get that in the mail to you right away.

If you would like to talk about your situation, please call Carolyn at 205-879-2447 and she will set up a call with me or a meeting with me so we can go over your options.

We look forward to helping you any way we can.

John Watts