A $20,000 pot of gold is at the end of this vet’s rainbow
By JIM CURTIS
My mission was to establish an affordable family lifestyle for Mo, where his needs could be met, and he could be safe at home. Fortunately, Mo has resources — a pension, social security and the cash from the sale of his home. I was able to arrange live-in 24-hour-care from a wonderful, loving woman who treats Mo like her father. The cost is 50 percent less than the amount charged by most commercial providers. Nevertheless, more money goes out than comes in.
My next project is to secure VA benefits for Mo, a World War II Navy vet. There are days I feel like the mouse lost in the maze. I am confident I found the way out. But can I reach the pot of gold before Mo’s money runs out? Once Mo receives his VA benefits, then his financial worries are over.
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Those words were published in the Observer News in January 2016. Now I can gleefully report the mouse found its way out of the maze. The pot of gold is in view, and we will find out soon whether the Veterans Administration allows Mo to claim his fair share.
We hope for the maximum award of $1,788 per month for a single person since Mo served during wartime and needs assistance to accomplish the activities of daily living. Approval means Mo can live the rest of his life without worrying about money. Denial means Mo becomes penniless and must rely on the state to take care of him. My back-of-the-envelope calculations indicate he has about nine months before his finances hit rock bottom.
Fortunately, VA benefits are retroactive to the day a letter of intent is filed. A completed application must be submitted within one year. Mission accomplished — so right now Mo’s potential retroactive benefits are $20,000-plus and counting.
The trick is to ensure the application is completed without error and accompanied by the required documents. Get it wrong, and the application goes into the reject pile. Hard to say when it will resurface and be returned to the applicant for correction. I am sure a good percentage of applicants give up in frustration or die before the first check arrives.
I played it safe and hired a consultant to get it right the first time, because it could be one and done when the applicant is 89 and ailing from Parkinson’s, dementia and heart problems. I found a firm called Elder Care Resource Planning and their work on behalf of Mo is heroic.
I started gathering information through the VA office in Brandon. Although they were competent, courteous and dedicated, I realized Mo had only one shot at this, and success was critical. I felt Mo and I were walking a tightrope. One slip, and we had a long fall into a government safety net riddled with holes and dry rot. I couldn’t take the chance, so I hired Elder Care Resource Planning to lead us across the high wire. Success is not guaranteed, but I like Mo’s chances.
“Too many senior veterans or their surviving spouses are forced to choose between proper care and their costs of living. We help veterans and their spouses afford the care they need through meticulously preparing a completed application to maximize their VA benefits,” said Michael Guerrero, senior benefits adviser of Elder Care Resource Planning.
My guess is there are massive numbers of veterans who might be eligible for benefits, but most are unaware of the eligibility requirements or have become bogged down in the maze of rules and regs to the point where they have given up in frustration.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there are 22.7 million veterans in the United States. Fully 55 percent are age 60 and older. There are about 600,000 vets in Florida over 60 who may be eligible for aid and attendance benefits of up to $2,150 per month.
Contact me via e-mail for a guideline on who is eligible for VA benefits for aid and attendance.
Jim Curtis is the owner of Home Haven. He is certified by the state of Florida to provide homemaker and companion services and focuses on keeping elders-in-need in their homes. Call him at 813-331-3471.