Increased Assistance for America’s Vets

My Grandfather was a WWII Vet although he didn’t talk much about his war experience. In his last years of life, he suffered from the crippling effects of a stroke. For almost three years he struggled to speak, move around on his own, and provide for his normal activities of daily living. As far as I know, none of his family members had any idea that his service in the military made available to him nearly two thousand dollars per month of reimbursements for his medical expenditures including in-home health care, assisted living and other health care costs.

Since then, the Veteran’s Administration (VA) has improved at helping vets become more aware of the benefits that are available to them. And because the costs of living generally don’t go down, the VA has recognized that the amount available to such veterans should go up over time. Just this month, the VA released the latest pension award amounts reflecting a 3.6% increase in benefits. The amounts listed below are annual Aid & Attendance (A&A) pension benefits based on the circumstances of the Pension recipient:

A&A for a vet with no spouse or dependents: $20,447

A&A for a vet with a dependent: $24,239

A&A two vets married to each other: $16,051

These benefits are available only to those who qualify. If your family member or friend is a veteran (or a spouse of a deceased veteran) who served during a wartime period and is struggling to stretch their income to cover their health care costs, you may want to talk with someone who understands this benefit to help determine whether the vet or spouse can qualify to receive it.