Please Honor America's Veterans Today - and every day

A Veteran is someone, who at one point in their life, wrote a blank check payable to the United States of America for an amount up to, and including, their life. That is beyond honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer remember that fact. Copy and paste this as your status if you are a Vet, know a Vet, Love a Vet or want to show support to those that served or are still serving.

Seminar today on VA Aid & Attendance Benefit

Details on Facebook page here.

Veterans Benefit That Helps Pay For In-Home Care

A benefit is available to most veterans and their surviving spouses that can pay for a large portion of in-home care. This little known benefit, called Special Monthly Pension, can provide up to $1,949 a month in assistance for care in the home, assisted living facility or nursing home.

Qualification for this Special Pension Benefit is straightforward. The veteran or their surviving spouse must:

· Be age 65 or older
· Have served 1 day during a defined period of war
· Received an honorable discharge
· Meet income and asset requirements
· Surviving spouse must have been married to veteran at time of passing

Most people have never heard of this benefit, but don’t let that discourage you. It is estimated that over 75% of the 2.5 million veterans who are eligible are not aware of the existence of this Special Pension. It is important that the veteran or responsible family member work with a competent and qualified individual or firm to fill out the appropriate documents that are necessary for approval.

Some people believe that they earn too much or possess too many assets to qualify. However, the important calculation is how much is left after deducting for all medical and care expenses. An experienced individual or agency can assist you in determining if you are qualified for this benefit.

And best of all – It’s Free!

Call us and we can answer any questions and help guide you through the paperwork. 512-388-4357.

The American Legion Benefits Calculator

The Legion has a benefits calculator on their website to assist in determining if you are eligible for any benefits.

https://www.legion.org/benefitscalculator

By answering a few simple questions, they are able to help you determine your eligibility for hundreds of available benefits.

It's pretty cool; however, it did not recognize the eligibility for VA Aid and Attendance benefits for those veterans and spouses over 65.

Check Here to see if you are eligible.

I called the American Legion and discussed this with them and they have a fix in the works.

Senior Helpers Seminar: Paying for Home Care with VA Benefits

As our senior population increases, more families face increasing costs associated with providing personal care for themselves or their loved ones.

There is a little known benefit for Veterans called the "Aid and Attendance" benefit that pays for up to approximately $2,000 per month to help offset these costs.

Almost any veteran that served in a defined period of war and is over 65 can apply for this benefit - as well as their surviving spouses!

Frank Hayes, a veteran and owner of Senior Helpers of Central Texas will be conducting this 1 hour seminar at Mariposa at River Bend in Georgetown, Texas to go over all the details.

Lunch will be provided. There is limited seating available please call our office to reserve your place early.
Sign-up on the Senior Helpers of Central Texas Facebook Page

How to pay for Home Care in Central Texas (TX) – From Senior Helpers – Veterans Aid and Attendance (A&A) Program

Senior Helpers wants to make sure Veterans are aware of a little-known benefit that may help Veterans and their surviving spouses pay for home care (and other care services).  If you or a loved one have any questions after reading this, please post your question in the comments area and we will make sure you receive the the answers you need.  Some of this sounds complicated–and it can be.  While our offices can’t help you fill out the application, we can put you in touch with an Accredited Claims Agent that can assist you at no charge.  The Accredited Claims Agents provide invaluable information and will assist with the application process to make sure it is filled out correctly the first time which will help you greatly improve your chances of getting reimbursed in a timely manner!
 

So what is it? Veterans Aid and Attendance (A&A) is a benefit paid in addition to monthly pension. Benefits may be available for Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in bathing, dressing, meal preparation, medication monitoring or other various activities of daily living. This benefit is available to individuals who reside in assisted living communities, personal care homes, skilled nursing facilities and those receiving personal in-home care.

How can these benefits help and how much is available?
Aid and Attendance can help pay for care in the home, skilled nursing facility, personal care home or an assisted living community. A Veteran may be eligible for up to $19,728 per year, a Veteran with a dependent spouse may be eligible for up to $23,388 per year, a surviving spouse of a Veteran may be eligible for up to $12,672 per year and two Veterans married to each other may be eligible for up to $30,480 per year.

Who is Eligible?
Any War Veteran with 90 days of active duty with at least one day during active War time. A surviving spouse of a War Veteran may be eligible if he/she remained married to the Veteran until his/her time of death and has not remarried. The only exception to this rule is if the remarriage took place after January 1, 1971 and ended before November 1, 1990. The individual must meet medical, service and financial qualifications as described below.

Medical Qualifications

1. The Veteran requires the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting himself/herself from the hazards of his/her daily environment, OR,
2. The Veteran is bedridden, in that his/her disability or disabilities requires that he/she remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment, OR,
3. The Veteran is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, OR,
4. The Veteran is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, and concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

Service Qualifications

1. At least 90 days of active duty, but need not have served in combat.
2. One day of active duty during a period of war (table below lists qualifying periods of war)
3. Discharged from service under conditions other than dishonorable

War or Conflict
WWII:12/7/1941 to 12/31/1946
Korean Conflict: 6/27/1950 to 1/31/1955
Vietnam Era: 8/5/1964 to 5/7/1975; for Veterans who served “in country” before 8/5/1664, then 2/28/1961 to 5/7/1975 is applicable.
Gulf War: At least 24 months, 8/2/1990 until a date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation.

Financial Qualifications

1. VA compares gross monthly income to out of pocket medical expenses.
2. Assets are included in the equation for eligibility. Personal property such as the Veteran’s home or vehicle,   are not included in this calculation.
3. A complicated Income and Asset Test must be “passed” in order to qualify. VA does not disclose this special provision to the public. If these are submitted incorrectly the Veteran will be denied the benefit. Therefore, we strongly recommend you contact your Senior Helpers representative who can put you in contact with VA Accredited Claims Agent who can complete the forms for you- at no charge to you.

There is also a “Housebound” benefit that can be paid in addition to monthly pension, and, like A&A, Housebound benefits first require eligibility to pension (different criteria apply). A Veteran cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.

If I am already receiving monthly payments or a service-connected disability can I get a VA pension too?
You cannot receive a VA non-service connected pension and service-connected compensation at the same time. However, if you apply for pension and are awarded payments, VA will pay you whichever benefit is greater.

How do I apply for Veterans non-service connected pension?
Contact your local Senior Helpers office for assistance and they will provide you with the information you need, including referral to an accredited claims agent who can assist you with your application. 

Press Release: Senior Helpers Offering Free Respite Care for Veterans

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

November 12, 2009

CONTACT: Frank Hayes, 512-388-4357, fhayes@seniorhelpers.com

Senior Helpers Offering Free Respite Care for Veterans

Local in-home care provider offering free care to veterans through November 15, 2009

Round Rock, TX – November 12, 2009 – In light of Veterans Day and the recent tragedy at Fort Hood, the Senior Helpers office serving Central Texas in Williamson, Travis, Bell and Burnet counties  is offering free respite care to veterans through the end of the week. Senior Helpers is the nation’s fastest growing provider of in-home senior care and provides seniors with the freedom to continue to live independently in their home while still receiving the care they need.

Senior Helpers of Central Texas will provide morning or afternoon respite care for veterans and their family members through Sunday, November 15, FREE OF CHARGE. The only catch is that the office can only continue the program until their resources run out. Also, any requests related to the Fort Hood incident will go to the front of the line. This free service is on a first-come, first-serve basis and Senior Helpers will do everything in their power to honor all requests. Senior Helpers asks that veterans or their families call the office at 512-388-4357 to set up your schedule.

“We are a veteran family ourselves and understand the hardships involved with care,” says Frank Hayes, owner of Senior Helpers of Central Texas. “We are pleased to offer this service to show veteran families how much we care and to spread the word about the different options that are available to seniors. We want to take time to thank veterans for all they have done for our great country!”

For more information about this event or to set up an interview with the sponsor, Senior Helpers, please contact the Senior Helpers office of Central Texas at 512-388-4357.

About Senior Helpers:

Senior Helpers connects professional caregivers with seniors who need extra assistance in the place they call home. The company has 280 franchises in 38 states through the country and offers a wide range of personal and companion care services to assist seniors living independently with a strong focus on quality of life for the client and peace of mind for their families. Senior Helpers strives to be the leading companion and personal care provider that offers dependable, consistent and affordable home care. For more information, please visit: http://www.seniorhelpers.com/.

Happy Birthday U.S. Marines!

During the American Revolution, many important political discussions took place in the inns and taverns of Philadelphia, including the founding of the Marine Corps. A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern to draft a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines able to fight for independence at sea and on shore.

The resolution was approved on November 10, 1775, officially forming the Continental Marines.

As the first order of business, Samuel Nicholas became Commandant of the newly formed Marines. Tun Tavern’s owner and popular patriot, Robert Mullan, became his first captain and recruiter. They began gathering support and were ready for action by early 1776.

Each year, the Marine Corps marks November 10th with a celebration of the brave spirit which compelled these men and thousands since to defend our country as United States Marines.

Senior Helpers of Central Texas offering Veterans & Families Free Respite Care for the Remainder of This Week

Senior Helpers will, until our resources run out (this is the only string!), provide morning or afternoon respite care for veterans and their family members through Sunday this week at no charge.

Call us to set up the schedule at 512-388-4357. It is first come first serve and we will do everything in our power to honor all requests!

We are a Veteran family ourselves and understand the hardships involved.

One other string to note: All Ft. Hood requests will go to the front of the line.

Thank you Veterans for all you have done for this great country!