Michigan Lawyer Blog
The holidays are often a good time to evaluate long term care options. Often, I receive phone calls from children who after visiting with their parents over the holidays realize that that they need more assistance at home or that mom and dad are not doing as well as they thought. Or after self evaluation and goal setting for the new year, some seniors want to move to senior residences to have more social activities and less responsibility with their homes. If you have a loved one or are someone facing these situations, VA benefits can offer a great planning opportunity.
In the metro-Detroit area, there are several assisted living and senior independent living facilities that are familiar with the VA aid and attendance program. In fact, many facilities will provide prospective residents with materials regarding VA benefits in order to help offset the monthly living expenses at their facilities or to prolong a resident’s stay at the facility after his or her funds are exhausted.
The aid and attendance benefit will provide additional monthly income to supplement seniors that need assistance and live in such facilities. This benefit can be the bridge between a qualified veteran’s regular monthly income and his or her monthly rent and medical expenses.
For example, if you are a qualified veteran and earn about $1,500 per month with monthly living expenses and medical expenses at a senior facility, you will more than likely receive assistance from the aid and attendance program. The benefit is designed to offer a dollar for dollar match for medical expenses. In most cases, a qualifying veteran will receive the maximum monthly benefit of about $1,600.00 per month. If you would like more information about VA benefit planning, please contact a qualified attorney or a qualified service organization like the American Legion or VFW.
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