Veterans Missing Benefits

08/20/2012

In today's article, there are audio links to an interview done with an elder law attorney who is informing Veterans that they might be missing out on many benefits. Veterans may be eligible for benefits that could supplement their Social Security and/or pension income. This could include the Aid and Attendance benefit that can provide significant monies for assisted living care. It could also be disability payments, particularly if a veteran's condition has worsened. Click on the link to listen to the interview.

 

Veterans Missing Benefits

 

Elizabeth Hurwitz was on the show this past weekend providing insights on potential benefits for veterans. Elizabeth is an elder law attorney with her own practice in Ann Arbor. She works with all sort of legal concerns related to seniors, including helping our local veterans and their families.

Veterans may be eligible for benefits that could supplement their Social Security and/or pension income. This could include the Aid and Attendance benefit that can provide significant monies for assisted living care. It could also be disability payments, particularly if a veteran's condition has worsened.

Elizabeth noted that for VA benefits there is no divestment look-back period, as there is for Medicaid. She helps determines if receiving a benefit has sufficient value to warrant setting up or changing a trust.

Spouses and the children of veterans may be eligible for veteran benefits, sometimes even after the veterans themselves pass away. Also, frequently not understood is that the veteran only needs to have served during a time of conflict, not in the actual combat.

We talked about how families don't always agree on matters related to their elderly loved one. Elizabeth says it is almost always about money or level of care. She works to have people to sit down and talk about the issues. Elizabeth encourages families to "remember that everybody loves the person who is ill, and everyone has this same common concern."

Elizabeth also took the opportunity to remind all of us to have two important legal documents — the durable power of attorney and the medical power of attorney.

 

 

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