Are there really secret benefits for veterans?
No, but the VA often makes it very difficult to easily find the benefit you need. And then, if you find the information, you have to then try and decipher the government lingo. These factors combine to make most people believe that there really are secret benefits for veterans. Or at least secrets from the common everyday person!
Let's look at one of the most infamous secret benefits for veterans...the veteran disability pension benefit. It is not a retirement benefit that one normally correlates with the word "pension".
It is the most misunderstood benefit available from the VA. In fact, a large majority of the local and county veterans offices that are suppose to help you learn about and understand the benefit are unaware of its existence.
Those that do know about the pension benefit often too easily dismiss those that inquire that they probably do not qualify. We have sampled various county veterans services offices in multiple states and have consistently received incomplete and inaccurate information in the majority of them.
HERE IS WHY
The veteran disability pension is an income qualified benefit. If the right questions are not asked, then the adjustments to income from qualified un-reimbursed medical expense is not applied to the income qualifier. For example, if a veteran has household income from social security, retirement pension, interest and stock dividend of $3,000 per month he/she would be told they do not qualify as their income is too high.
Yes, this veterans total household income of 3,000 per month is above the veteran disability pension benefit maximum allowable amount of $1,554 ($18,654 per year). He/She therefore will not qualify. However, the income qualification is not on total income, it is on "countable income". This is the most common mistake that probably prevents thousands of veterans receive the VA benefit they deserve.
COUNTABLE INCOME
The income qualification for the veterans disability pension benefit is based on having "countable income" below the maximum disability pension benefit level of $1,554 ($18,654 per year).
Countable Income is arrived at by subtracting from the total household income all qualified un-reimbursed medical expenses. These expenses include supplemental medical insurance premiums, long term care insurance premiums, prescription costs or co-payments, certain medical supplies like oxygen or incontinence pads, home care costs and even the cost of assisted living.
Our veteran has $3,000 per month in total household income. Straight-up he/she does not qualify. BUT, the veteran pays $697 per month in supplemental insurance premiums and $297 per month in unreimbursed prescription costs. In addition, the veteran has a home care aid coming in to help at a cost of $1,385 per month. The veterans total qualified expenses are $2,379 per month.
The veterans countable income is thus $3,000 minus $2,379 = $621. With a countable income of $621 this veteran is eligible (from the financial qualifier only) to receive a veterans disability pension benefit of ($1,554 maximum benefit minus $621 countable income) $933 per month!
Now that is a great secret benefits for veterans to know about!
No comments:
Post a Comment