What are valid expenses that reduce income to avoid exceeding the Veterans Aid & Attendance income limit?

The maximum VA Pension benefit with Aid and Attendance for an eligible surviving spouse is $1,149 per month.

To receive the maximum amount the claimant must have Net Income for VA Purposes (IVAP) of $0.

To calculate IVAP begin with GROSS income from all sources.

The claimant then deducts from gross income eligible Unreimbursed Medical Expenses (UME) which may include virtually any ongoing, regular medically related expense including the cost of Medicare insurance premiums (Part B, D, and supplements), life alert systems, physician and Rx co-pays, transportation expenses, durable medical equipment rentals, the cost of home care (provided by an agency or privately), and assisted living facility room and board.

Private household expenses are not deductible.

A deductible of $35.95 per month is then applied. If the net result is $0 or less, the full pension award will be granted. If the net result is below the maximum pension benefit of $1,149, then a partial award may be granted.

The benefit is paid directly to the claimant by monthly electronic transfer. The claimant then pays their expenses from these funds. The claimant is free to use any provider they choose and may change providers at will. The VA must be notified of any changes in income or expenses.

I am very interested to learn what you mean by "the bulk of it goes to the company that is keeping her in compliance". What does that mean? Is she receiving services from a home care company that applied for the benefit for her?

The VA is pretty specific as to the limit on income. It is whatever your mother receives, and if a company is taking money to "manage" that, this is wrong. Contact the VA local office in your area, go to va.gov/benefits and see what the guidelines are for qualifying. She should not be paying anyone for getting A&A.

It has been 5 years and I have answered this questions before but putting money into a trust is a great way for you and your mom to have control of her money. We were told that a person can only have 20,000 in savings plus their income ie. social security, annuity, etc. Plus, my dad receives more than 1,149 from VA. We used an attorney that only did VA benefits. If we got them approved for my mom then we paid him his cost. If we were denied, we paid him nothing. We got all the paper work togehter for him but he's the one that put it all together for us (and it was a lot) in the right order. We felt very comfortable with him and it only took about 3 mos. I don't think I would have felt comfortable giving the company that took care of her the money. My dad's is direct deposited into his acct. from the VA or govt. I have gotten feed back on this site from people that said an attny that takes money to do this is wrong but I know too many people that have used other attnys in different states and it worked out great for them. Anyway that's our story..... Good Luck and God Bless

The only that speded up the long, long proces of getting VA benefits for my mother was contacting her Congressmans and her Senator's office monthly. Even with them, it took almost two years and she is over 90.

Hmmm; not sure where the link to Veterans Home care went in my prior post (are we not able to post these types of things?) but I'll try again here:

Yes, Ralph Robbins, the company helped my mom get approved and has been handling it ever since. They hired a 'homecare' agency, who then hired a 'helper' for my mom. The helper gets 17 hours at $8.25 per hour and the other 2 agencies keep the rest. I feel that I could get my mom more help, which she needs more and more since she can no longer walk unassisted and now has heart problems along with her other health issues. My mom is the vet so she is getting the full amount.

Give a Hug, that is pretty much the same thing we did. I just hate that my mom is only benefiting from about 1/3 of what she is actually getting because I am afraid if I try to mange it I will mess things up and she will lose what help she is getting.

I used Senior Veterans Council in North Carolina. Paid them a nominal fee and they helped get Dad his Aid and Attendance benefits which then paid for in-home care for him. They were extrememly helpful.

how much help can a 86 year old veteran get in the home,who is not able to get out of bed,but wants to stay at home,How much will the veterans pay for home care

forestrees.....I know it is so sad for the elderly that want to stay in their homes but sometimes that's just not possible. I know my in laws fought going into an assisted living place for a long time but I nor my husband was equipped to take care of them (not that we wouldn't have just didn't have the skills needed). Hope you can find the help you are needing through VA, Social Worker, Visiting Nurse Assoc. etc. My dad didn't want to move out of his house after my mom went into a dementia facility but finally agreed and is a lot happier (of course he wasn't bedridden either just turned 93). We used an attny that dealt just with veterans and their spouses to get benefits. Paid around 2000 but was worth it. Good luck and God Bless.