Yes, New Jersey Even Pays For Funerals

By Fredrick P. Niemann, Esq. of Hanlon Niemann & Wright, a Freehold, NJ Medicaid Long-Term Care Attorney

The State of New Jersey will pay for funerals through the Department of Human Services (DHS). To apply for a “public assistance” funeral you must call your county board of social/human services (or welfare agency) in which the deceased person resided at the time of their death.

Individuals eligible for a state public assistance funeral and burial funds include individuals who require long term care benefits under Medicaid and disabled individuals under the age of 65 who qualify for SSI. Eligible persons include:

  • Medicaid Only recipients who lived in the community or in Medicaid approved facilities
  • Medically Needy recipients in nursing homes
  • SSI recipients in hospice are programs
  • Community Care Program for the Elder and Disabled (CCPED) recipients
  • New Jersey Workability Program participants

Funeral Payment Limits

The maximum amount the state will pay for the funeral home portion and the cemetery portion of a public assistance funeral appears below. The columns combine the two amounts and represent the maximum amount the state will pay for the complete funeral (funeral and cemetery portions).

“Allowable Supplementation” is the amount family and friends can add to the combined maximum amount before the state will reduce its payment proportionately. The last column shows the maximum amount the state will pay for a public assistance funeral combined with the maximum amount the state will allow others to contribute.

Supplementation By Family and Friends

The state allows family and friends to contribute money toward a public assistance funeral. Families can apply supplementation to funeral home costs, cemetery costs or both. However, the state limits how much supplementation is allowed.

The supplementation cap is $1,570 for individuals aged two and over. If the family contributes more than $1,570 the state will reduce payment dollar for dollar. For example, if the family contributes $1,670 ($100 more than the cap) the state reduces its maximum adult funeral reimbursement amount from $2,770 to $2,670.

A deceased’s assets cannot be used to supplement their funeral. These assets will be collected by the State of New Jersey. A decedent’s assets will not affect the reimbursement received by Funeral Directors and Cemeteries. Assets are:

  • Cash on hand, in a bank account, or nursing home personal needs account (PNA);
  • Securities, real estate, antique furniture and automobiles;
  • Life insurance or death or funeral benefits regardless of the beneficiary (refunded premiums are exempt);
  • Money paid and/or owed to the deceased before or after death

How to Arrange a Public Assistance Funeral

To arrange a public assistance funeral, make an appointment with a funeral home. Tell the funeral director that you think the deceased is eligible for a public assistance funeral. The funeral director will contact the county board of social services to see if the deceased qualifies and seek “conditional” approval.

The funeral director will make funeral arrangements using welfare funeral planning guidelines. If you want more of a funeral than the guidelines provide, ask about private supplementation. Please note that few cemeteries accept the state maximum benefit of $524 as payment in full and usually require supplementation.

The funeral home may ask you to sign a promise to pay in the event that the deceased doesn’t qualify for a public assistance funeral. If the payment request is rejected, the funeral home will bill you for the balance in addition to any unpaid supplementation amount.

Cemetery and funeral home charges are separate. After the services, the funeral home will submit a bill for up to $2,246 to the county board of social services. The cemetery will file for a maximum payment of $524.

Some funeral homes do not handle welfare funerals and may refer you to another funeral home that does.

To discuss your NJ Elder Care Law & Medicaid matter, please contact Fredrick P. Niemann, Esq. toll-free at (855) 376-5291 or email him at fniemann@hnlawfirm.com.  Please ask us about our video conferencing consultations if you are unable to come to our office.

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Tax Advantages and Overlooked Deductions for Retirees 

Locations

Fairfax:
10640 Main Street, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: 703-691-1888


Fredericksburg:
511 Westwood Office Park
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: 540-479-1435


Washington DC:
1425 K Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-2797


Rockville:
1 Research Court, Suite 450
Rockville MD 20850
Phone: 301-519-8041

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Critter Corner: Do I Pay Taxes on my Social Security Benefits?

Locations

Fairfax:
10640 Main Street, Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
Phone: 703-691-1888


Fredericksburg:
511 Westwood Office Park
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
Phone: 540-479-1435


Washington DC:
1425 K Street, NW, Suite 350
Washington, DC 20005
Phone: 202-587-2797


Rockville:
1 Research Court, Suite 450
Rockville MD 20850
Phone: 301-519-8041

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Virginians Need Medicaid Expansion

Jill Hanken, VPLC’s Director of Healthy Communities, letter to the editor was featured as the Correspondent of the Day, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Unfortunately, we were unable to find a link on their website to the letter.  Therefore below is a scan of Jill’s letter, explaining how Medicaid expansion could assist thousands of low-income Virginians, many of whom work in low-wage jobs, access health insurance.

Virginians Need Medicaid Expansion

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The Financial Problems of CCRCs

Devonshire CCRC

A Continuing Care Retirement Community (CCRC) is an age-restricted community where, in most cases, incoming residents must be at least age 55 or older. The facilities offer independent-living units, assisted living units, and skilled nursing all in the same building or on the same campus. In addition to paying a sizable entrance fee, residents pay a monthly fee that typically increases as the residents need more care.

Many seniors are choosing to move to CCRCs in their retirement years, due to the option to have more care available if and when they need it. Unfortunately, many who choose CCRCs aren’t aware of the financial risks they are taking when they sign a contract and move into one.

Let’s take for example, Devonshire at PGA National in Palm Beach Gardens, FL, a ritzy CCRC that touts a “superb health and racquet club” and “40,000 square-foot international spa.” Sounds like a great place to retire, doesn’t it? It was until it was hit with a $158 million foreclosure suit and residents were faced with the reality that they may never see their partially refundable entrance fees that stretched into the seven figures. Since this happened five years ago, Devonshire has reopened, but who knows if it could happen again, and what the consequences could be for residents.

If a CCRC is in a situation similar to Devonshire, and becomes forced into bankruptcy, residents may be considered unsecured creditors and could lose all of their refundable entrance fees. Or the facility may be bought out of bankruptcy by a new owner, resulting in service changes and other upheaval for residents. This happened not too long ago in our own back yard, when Erickson, a major developer and manager of CCRCs, filed for bankruptcy. Even though Erickson was bought out and emerged from bankruptcy, it impacted residents of Greenspring Village in Springfield, Virginia; Ashby Ponds in Ashburn, Virginia; and Riderwoodin Silver Spring, Maryland. Read our earlier blog post for more details.

Non-Profit CCRCs are Vulnerable to Financial Strain

CCRCs promise lifetime care to their residents. Depending on the contract, this can be a huge financial commitment on the part of the facility, as a resident’s need for care often increases as he or she gets older. Before moving into a CCRC, clients must ask: Can this CCRC fulfill its financial promise? In many cases, the facilities cannot.

A recent article in Senior Housing Forum discusses the challenges of non-profit CCRCs, and how entrance fee financed tax exempt CCRCs are conflicted about capital. According to the article, many non-profit CCRCs use entrance fees as at-risk equity capital to secure debt. On the other hand, CCRCs issue contracts promising residents lifetime residency in return for their entrance fees. In accounting lingo, this is “double counting,” and it could prove to be detrimental for residents.

Residents have largely been kept in the dark about what happens to their entrance fees, so despite their sizable financial investment in entrance fees, residents are not owners and have no say in the use and distribution of the funds. According to the article, the lack of financial viability and the presence of impaired balance sheets makes many non-profit CCRCs, “a scandal waiting to happen” and prospective residents should beware!

Asking the Right Questions

Many prospective CCRC residents fail to ask the right questions about the financial status of the CCRC, putting them at risk of losing their investment should the CCRC go bankrupt. Specialized financial advocates, such as myself, can be an invaluable resource to clients considering moving to CCRCs, as they can help clients assess a CCRC’s finances and ensure that clients understand the financial risks they’re taking.

Still considering a CCRC? These are things to inquire about:

  • Occupancy Rate. Occupancy below 85% “can be a cause for concern, unless it’s in a newer community that’s filling up,” says Stephen Maag, director of residential communities at LeadingAge, an association of nonprofit senior care providers. Some Erickson CCRCs, for example, had occupancy rates between 60% and 70% at the time of the company’s bankruptcy filing, according to court documents.
  • Ask the CCRC for its audited financial statements, and seek help in evaluating them from a financial advocate, such as myself. Some red flags: expenses that are greater than operating income, or liabilities that exceed assets. CARF International, which provides accreditation to CCRCs, also has a consumer guide to understanding CCRC finances at www.carf.org.
  • CCRCs are regulated by the states. However, only a few states (among them, Arizona, New York, California, and Texas) require that CCRCs perform an actuarial study to analyze risk. So, it’s up to you to inquire about risk factors, including the CCRC’s resources, its obligations to current residents (if the CCRC promises lifetime care to all residents, can it make good on that promise even if health care costs are higher than expected?), pricing (is the current pricing sufficient to meet future obligations?), and cash flow (sources and expected uses of cash).
  • Prospective residents should examine the CCRC’s ownership structure, since problems at a parent company can mean problems for residents. In a 2010 review of CCRCs, the U.S. Senate Aging Committee found that many parent organizations are “represented by a complex organizational maze” of for-profit and nonprofit entities. If the CCRC has a large parent company, speak with management and residents, and check out its annual report for details on its activities and future plans.
  • Before signing a contract, ask about the process for transferring to the next level of care. Another key question: will an assisted-living or skilled-nursing bed be available when you need it? Ask about the process for moving to a nearby facility if the nursing facility fills up and how any extra cost would be covered. And read the occupancy agreement (or have someone such as myself review it) to ensure that the agreement actually says what the marketing person is telling you.
  • To get a sense of what life is really like at a CCRC, make several unannounced visits and have a few random meals there. Talk to current residents about their activities and their relationships with each other as well as with management and staff.
  • Finally, if a CCRC encounters financial problems, you should make sure you understand what the impact on you will be. These are questions to ask before, not after, financial problems arise.

To ensure that the potential benefits outweigh the risks, I cannot reiterate enough that you should always have an experienced elder law attorney/financial advisor, such as myself review your CCRC contract prior to signing it.

Considering a CCRC? Asset Protection is Still of Utmost Importance.

Far too many people move into CCRCs without giving asset protection a second thought. If you are considering moving into a CCRC, it behooves you to not just have me review the contract, but to also have me create the proper type of asset protection trust for you to put your extra assets in before you move in to the community.  What is the proper type of asset protection trust?  It’s my proprietary Living Trust Plus™ Asset Protection Trust — the trust that protects your assets from the expenses of probate PLUS lawsuits PLUS the catastrophic expenses of nursing home care. For most Americans, the Living Trust Plus™ is the only form of true asset protection trust because, for purposes of Medicaid eligibility, this type of trust is the only type of self-settled asset protection trust that allows a settlor to retain an interest in the trust while also protecting the assets from being counted by state Medicaid agencies. Read more about the LTP here.

If you’re a client or potential client who would like more information about the Living Trust Plus™, click here to register for one of our upcoming informational seminars. If you cannot make it to one of our monthly seminars and would like to learn more about Living Trust Plus™ or if you have not done Long-Term Care Planning, Estate Planning or Incapacity Planning (or had your Planning documents reviewed in the past several years), please call the Farr Law Firm to make an appointment for a no-cost initial consultation:

Fairfax Elder Law: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg Elder Law: 540-479-1435
Rockville Elder Law: 301-519-8041
DC Elder Law: 202-587-2797

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Learn About A Protective Arrangement: A Really Different Type of Quasi-Guardianship to Protect an Incapacitated or Vulnerable Person

By Fredrick P. Niemann, Esq. of Hanlon Niemann & Wright, a Freehold, NJ Elder Abuse & Financial Exploitation Attorney

A Guardianship action is filed when a person is incapacitated and cannot make decisions on their own and requires somebody else to come in and make those personal, medical and/or financial decisions for him or her.  A guardianship proceeding is a court action to declare a person incapacitated (not mentally sound) and then have another person appointed as the legal guardian of that person.  Sometimes (certainly not always), the process can be time consuming and costly depending on the contentious nature of the proceeding.  The law also disfavors the use of forced guardianships and prefers that the person declared incapacitated to have as much decision-making power as reasonably practicle.

So what if a loved one needs help and some sort of limited protective oversight over his or her finances to prevent them from being wasted, yet still allows for the autonomy of the loved one to use his or her finances in the way he or she chooses?  A statute that is seldom used when considering a guardianship, but is a perfect alternative in this type of situation, is a “protective arrangement”.  The court is empowered to appoint a protective arrangement for a minor, incapacitated person, or alleged incapacitated person if there is property owned by him or her that could be exploited, wasted or dissipated, or if funds are needed for the care and support of the person.  If this finding is made, the court can set up a protective arrangement to ensure either the property is not wasted by the person, or requires that accounts be set up with money to care for that person.

The court can order a variety of protective arrangements as long as it is in the best interest of the person.  So for example, the court can require the parties to set up a joint account and require the approval of both account holders to approve a transaction.  Requiring a house to be sold, or restraining the person from mortgaging his/her property, can be ordered by the court.  The court can also order the person at issue to obtain life care and even set up a trust through which property can be held.  Even directing a person to execute a prenuptial agreement prior to getting married is quite possibly within the Court’s discretion as long as the above considerations are made.

The difference between a guardianship for an estate and a protective arrangement is that a guardian has full (or almost) complete control of his or her assets. In a protective arrangement a person generally understands what is going on around them, but needs some oversight from another to protect some or all of the assets that the person has.  The arrangement is less restrictive than a guardianship, and covers only designated circumstances should they apply.  As with anything, consideration must always be made before deciding what the best plan of action is for your friend or loved one.

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Kristi Kelly and Len Bennett Donate Their Time and Fees to Support Legal Aid in Virginia

Virginia legal aid programs are lucky to have private lawyers who donate their time, talent, and resources to help us represent our low-income clients.  Volunteer lawyers donated over 15,000 hours serving legal aid clients last year.  Sometimes private lawyers go above and beyond to support the work of Virginia legal aid programs.over 15,000
Kristi Kelly of Kelly and Crandall and Len Bennett of Consumer Litigation Associates recently donated the attorney fees they earned with hundreds of hours of work successfully prosecuting a class action lawsuit against a credit reporting agency.  Both Kelly and Crandall and Consumer Litigation Associates decided to contribute all of the attorneys’ fees awarded in this case to the Legal Aid Justice Center to advocate for consumer rights for immigrants. As they stated in the court documents: “both Plaintiffs in this case  were immigrants, facing unique challenges in this country. Counsel  felt it appropriate to honor their struggle and help those immigrants now facing immediate new struggles.”

Judge Brinkem  approved the class action settlement and impressed by this donation of attorney fees: “I’m extremely impressed by first of all the modest percentage of the total amount that is for attorneys’ fees, and even more impressed by the fact that you’re donating your attorneys’ fees to the Legal Aid Justice Center, which I think is a very unusual result and a very good one.”

The amount of the fees?  $193,930.  This will be enough for the Legal Aid Justice Center to hire a new attorney for two years which is fantastic news for low-income Virginians needing legal assistance.

Both Kristi and Len donate their time to serve as members of the Board of Directors of the Virginia Poverty Law Center.  Donating their fees is just the latest example of their generous support and commitment to legal aid in Virginia.

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Have You Prepared for Your Digital Afterlife? Most People Haven’t.

Q. My mother is very tech savvy. She is always on Facebook posting pictures, articles, and recipes.  She uses online bill pay to pay most of her bills, and Microsoft Office 365 to keep a daily diary in Word and her monthly budget in Excel. She uses different passwords for everything, since she feels like that is the safest way to go. Recently, she has forgotten some of her passwords and has missed paying a couple bills as a result. I am concerned about what will happen to everything my mother keeps online, should she keep forgetting things, or if something happened to her? Also, I was wondering if you knew of a way for my mother to keep her cherished memories in one place, so she wouldn’t have to post them on Facebook for the world to see, or keep a diary in Word online, where she may not be able to access it? Thanks for your help!

A. In today’s digital world, people accrue lots of digital assets. These include digital files (i.e., emails, photos, videos, and documents), as well as digital accounts (i.e., banking, business, social media, email, retail shopping, and cloud storage). The digital assets left behind when an Internet user dies, or is no longer capable of managing his or her digital estate, is what is referred to as a person’s digital legacy.

Managing one’s digital legacy is an important issue for tech-savvy people, including your mother. However, most of these people have not planned for what will happen to their digital assets, should something happen to them. In fact, an AARP Public Policy Institute survey found that 60% of adult Internet users have not considered how they want to address their digital legacy. Even fewer said they had taken any action to prepare for the management of their digital legacy. And, surprisingly, 66% indicated they were not concerned about addressing the issue of their digital legacy, and would not look for further information on this topic.

Consequently, if people don’t plan for their digital assets, those managing the estates of those who become incapacitated or die will face challenges identifying, recovering, and accessing their photos, banking, documents stored in the cloud, etc. And, in many cases, the digital assets will be lost or lengthy legal battles over access to digital assets can ensue after a person’s incapacitation or death.

The AARP report identifies the potential barriers heirs could face and provides recommendations designed to help provide heirs legal access to digital content after incapacitation or death.

Planning for Her Digital Assets

A few simple steps could eliminate a lot of headaches when it comes to your mother planning for her digital legacy. To plan for her digital assets, she should consider the following steps:

1. She should create an inventory of important online accounts and usernames and passwords to ensure their digital content is accessible should she no longer be able to manage the content. An easy way is to store all of your digital user names and passwords in a secure password safe, such as keepass or lastpass.

2. She should also document her digital legacy wishes and coordinate with an experienced estate planning attorney, such as myself, to ensure her wishes are noted in her estate planning documents and the passwords to access them are accessible.

3. In her estate planning documents, she should specifically give control over these digital assets to an executor or trustee, who could then take over upon her death.

4. She should give her executor/trustee the password and location of the password safe or the means to locate your master password, such as by writing down her master password and putting it in an envelope in her safe deposit box.

The Living Legacy Project

You asked about a way to pass on personal legacies, without using Facebook or other resources that aren’t so private or accessible. Here at the Farr Law Firm, we recently began offering our clients a way to easily capture and pass on their personal legacies . . . and best of all, we are offering this as a gift to all of our clients, whether you’re a current client, a future client, or even a past client!

The award-winning LegacyStories.org website and companion mobile app is easy to use and can capture your mother’s memories in several ways:

1. Write Legacy Stories

Using the Legacy Stories Website and mobile App, you can compose, organize, preserve, and share your legacy stories with your own Legacy Story Blog. This is the ideal solution to preserve and share your heirloom recipes, family traditions, legacy letters, poetry, wishes for the future, wisdom statements, and life lessons and values.

2. Store Photos

Legacy Story’s Slide Shows component is a sanctuary where you can curate, preserve and share your highest-priority “legacy photos” in a format that helps future generations learn about their family history. If used for photos alone, your Legacy Portfolio (1GB) has enough storage capacity for about 5,000 vintage family photos.

3. Record Oral Histories

With the Legacy Stories App on your phone, you can easily scan an old photo, upload it for preservation, and then simply click “record” to share your memories about the photo — who’s in it, where was it taken, what were you doing at the time, what special memories the photo evokes, etc. Then, when your children or grandchildren go to the website and view that photo, they will hear your vocal narrative while looking at the photo. What a priceless gift you have now created for future generations.

Learn more about Legacy Stories here.

Protect Your Digital Assets and Leave Your Loved Ones with Much More

Now, in connection with your Estate Planning documents, The Farr Law Firm can help you leave your loved ones with something much more than just money and assets. If you are a current or former client of the Farr Law Firm and would to create your own Legacy Story, simply email renee@farrlawfirm.com and she will provide you with a link for you to get started. If you are not yet a client of our firm, please contact us to set up an appointment for a no-cost initial consultation:

Fairfax Elder Law: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg Elder Law: 540-479-1435
Rockville Elder Law: 301-519-8041
DC Elder Law: 202-587-2797

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Critter Corner: Preparing for Death on Social Media

Dear Commander Bun Bun,

I was recently on Facebook and noticed a friend who had passed away a few years ago still has an active account. Isn’t there anything family members and friends can do to memorialize a loved one on social media when he or she passes away? 

Faye Spook

—-

Dear Faye,

A small company, by the name of DeadSocialhopes to change the way society thinks about and prepares for death online. They provide a variety of online tools, resources, and support mechanisms to help those who have lost a love one, including the following guides:

 

They also provide instructions for downloading your media& data from social networks:

 

 

Another helpful resource they provide is funeral-tech tutorials:

 

The advice on DeadSocial.org is helpful for what to do on social media if a loved one passes away. However, when it comes to estate planning advice (including advice about Wills and Trusts), you should consult with an experienced estate planning attorney, such as Evan Farr.

Hop this is helpful,

Commander Bun Bun

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Military Families Feeling Financially Stretched by Elder Care

Captain David Steere’s father was a Class of 1931 Naval Academy Graduate. At the end of his life, he was living in assisted care and having trouble making ends meet. David is now retired from the Navy himself, and is concerned about his own ability to afford long-term care, should the time come when he needs it.

For veterans, including the Steeres, a military pension will go a long way to defray the military member’s expense of assisted living, but it won’t cover everything, including a spouse’s needs. And while the military provides excellent health benefits for its retirees, long-term care benefits are not included at all (unless a veteran becomes medically and financially eligible for aid and attendance or housebound benefits, which help cover some of the costs of long-term care).

The First Command Financial Behaviors Index® Reveals That Service Members Are Struggling to Afford Long-Term Care

About one in three families (34%) who are currently or anticipate caring for an elderly family member say they feel extremely or very financially stretched month to month. In contrast, just 25% of all military respondents say they feel extremely or very financially stretched.

Compiled on an annual basis by Sentient Decision Science, Inc., the First Command Financial Behaviors Index® assesses trends among the American public’s financial behaviors, and intentions, through a monthly survey of approximately 530 U.S. consumers aged 25 to 70 with annual household incomes of at least $50,000.

The following are some of the findings from this year’s study:

• 36% of middle-class military families (commissioned officers and senior NCOs) are currently or anticipate providing care for an elderly parent or other family member.

• Military families are currently or anticipate providing elder care in a variety of settings, most commonly in the home (54% in their own home and 42% in the elderly person’s home).

• Respondents expect to provide care by paying for:

• health care services (7%)

• home care services (18%)

• nursing home care (8%)

• The cost of providing this care can be sizable. The 20% of survey respondents who are already caring for an elderly family member in their home estimate their average monthly outlay at $1,342. 40% of people in this subgroup say costs are more than they expected, a revelation that is reflected in their financial attitudes.

“Again this year, the results of our annual survey of elder care costs underscore the financial stresses that caring for an older family member can create for our men and women in uniform,” said Scott Spiker, CEO of First Command Financial Services, Inc. “Caregiver costs are higher than many people expect. The good news is that almost half of military families who currently provide elder care took steps to prepare for these costs, and 36% say they work with a financial advisor. As more military families find themselves taking on the added responsibility of elder care, we expect to see growing demand for knowledgeable financial planning support.”

Questions You Should Ask Yourself About Long-Term Care

“Checking your long-term care payment options should be part of your retirement planning,” says Judith Walbert on Military.com. “If assisted living or nursing home care becomes a necessity, not having a plan to pay for the expense can be a devastating blow to a family’s savings and investments.”

Walbert recommends that you ask yourself the following questions:

•Who will take care of you – or your parents – if long-term care is needed?

•Would your children be willing to care for you full time?

•What assets to you have to pay for long-term care?

•How long would your savings last if faced with paying for long-term care?

•If you or your spouse needed care, how would you pay for that care?

•Do you have a family history of chronic illness?

•Do current age and health conditions make you a good candidate for an affordable policy?

If you answered, “I don’t know” to any of these questions then it’s time to start thinking about long-term care planning.

If You Are Eligible, Veteran’s Aid and Attendance or Housebound Benefits Can Help Pay for Long-Term Care.

The VA program has a little known benefit called Aid and Attendance and Housebound Improved Pension that can be especially helpful in paying for in-home care.

Aid & Attendance and Housebound Benefits are special benefits paid in addition to a VA special pension benefit. Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits help with paying for in–home care, assisted living, or a nursing home.

Nearly 69% of veterans are unaware of the benefits available to them, meaning that most veterans are paying more for senior care services than they should. Additionally, more than 1/3 of Americans over the age of 65 are wartime veterans or the spouses of wartime veterans, potentiallly qualifying them for these benefits.

This special pension program provides benefits that can reduce the cost of care for veterans and surviving spouses who require assisted living services. The program can provide up to:

◾Single sick Veteran ~ $21,531 per year / $1,794 per month

◾Healthy Veteran with sick spouse ~ $16,902 per year / $1,408 per month

◾Married sick Veteran ~ $25,525 per year / $2,127 per month

◾Married, Both Veterans sick ~ $34,153 per year / $2,846 per month

◾Surviving Spouse – $13,836 per year / $1,153 per month

A veteran may be eligible for A&A when:

•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,

•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,

•The veteran is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, OR,

•The veteran is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

Housebound Benefits

Like A&A, Housebound benefits may not be paid without eligibility to pension. A veteran may be eligible for Housebound benefits when:

•The veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND, due to such disability, he/she is permanently and substantially confined to his/her immediate premises, OR,

•The veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND, another disability, or disabilities, evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

A veteran cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time. Learn more about A & A benefits here.

Applying for Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits

Here at the Farr Law Firm, we work with veterans and their spouses to evaluate whether they qualify for either of the Veterans Special Pension Benefits and/or Medicaid, and we deal with all the paperwork. We also offer financial planning services to Veterans and their spouses theough Lifecare Financial Services. As an Accredited Attorney with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs, I understand both the Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit and the Medicaid program and the interaction between both benefit programs.

Another benefit of being a veteran is a 10% discount off all services at the Farr Law Firm. We hope to see your family soon!

Please call the Farr Law Firm to make an appointment for a no-cost initial consultation:

Fairfax Veterans Planning Attorney: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg Veterans Planning Protection Attorney: 540-479-143
Rockville Veterans Planning Protection Attorney: 301-519-8041
DC Medicaid Veterans Planning Attorney: 202-587-2797

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