I was informed the the other day and it has been on our local news that all claims have been deferred until 2020 - they want the Vet to die before they have to pay anything - they closed my dad's claim after over two years - it was their error and now I have to wait another 30 days before they will even reopen it - totally incompetent people that work there..... he is in hospice so their tactic will probably work as he will die before we get an answer.......
connie1698, as the widow of a wartime veteran you may be eligible for VA Aid & Attendance or improved widow pension, if you are low income and low assets.
In 1967 when my dad died, my late mom received a death benefit payout only. When we checked with the VA, they said to receive anything more, my father would had to die while fighting, e.g. in wartime.
ferris1, there is financial help for veterans (Aid & Attendance) who did not retire from the military. The veteran does not pay into any fund to be eligible.
In my county there is a Veterians Aid office. They should be able to tell you what you may be entitled to. Be sure to have with you his discharge papers. Your marriage certificate. Proof of income. Social Security numbers. Aids and Assist. is only for those Vets that served during wartime. My local rep was very good and u don't pay a cent.
In Texas and some other states there is a nonprofit called VetAssist, started by a military widow who was horrified at the bureaucratic hoops she had to jump through to get Aid and Attendance or other benefits. As with anything in life, there are upsides and downsides. But one significant upside is that they know exactly how to streamline the application process and get it all through the VA. Cuts time of approval from 6-12 months down to about 4 on average.
Your deceased spouse should have been paying into the SBP (surviving benefits payments) for you to receive military pension (it is 55% of what he made), and I believe once that veteran dies, the benefit dies with him, but check with your local base or go to va.gov. In the military pay, my husband's 10% benefit is taken out and then paid back from a different account. When he dies I will receive 55% of his entire pay but he had paid into that plan when he first began service 1945-1967. It all depends on how long your husband served in the military what your benefit will be. You should file with social security to get HIS benefits if he worked and you did not and he was making more money than you.
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Thank you, I do get SS from him.
Dell Reed