How to expedite an Aid and Attendance Claim is somewhat of a trick question. Everyone wants to know if something can be done to speed up a VA decision. This is understandable. Aid and Attendance is a generous pension that many applicants badly need to help pay for care. And, after all, everyone knows the […]
The Aid And Attendance Net Worth Myth
Many myths and misinformation surround the Department of Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance benefit. Due to the technical nature of the veteran application and surviving spouse application, and the sometimes opaque eligibility standards, submitting an application that results in an award letter can be difficult. The most prevalent myth surrounding Aid and Attendance benefits is […]
What Is A Fully Developed Claim?
Submitting a claim through the Fully Developed Claim program is the ideal way to submit an application for Aid and Attendance. A Fully Developed Claim will place your application on the fast track to a Department of Veterans Affairs decision. What Is A Fully Developed Claim? A Fully Developed Claim means the applicant has submitted […]
VA Form 21-527EZ
Before you start receiving Aid and Attendance benefits, you need to submit an application to the Department of Veterans Affairs. While this is axiomatic, and obvious, the truism raises a tricky question: what form should you submit to the VA? If you want to submit the correct form to the VA, you need to know […]
New Income Rules For Aid And Attendance?
You can file this under the question I posed back in April. Is the proposed look-back law good for veterans and surviving spouses? I told you then that the VA was in the process of extending efficiency of communication between the Department and the IRS. At the time, I had started to see Department of […]
Who Can You Trust At The VA?
No, I’m not speaking to the most recent black mark on the VA’s collective resume. The events surrounding General Shinseki’s resignation are low hanging fruit. And anyway, that’s not my area of expertise. What I want to know is this: when you call the VA’s 800 or 877 number, who can you trust? My experience […]
Aid And Attendance Irrevocable Trusts
I regularly speak with other attorney’s, financial planners, and families about the differences between VA Irrevocable Trusts and Medicaid Irrevocable Trusts. More and more, I’m finding that people misunderstand the crucial differences between Medicaid and VA law as it pertains to VA Irrevocable Trusts. Many professionals and their clients seem to think that any Irrevocable Trust is sufficient to qualify an applicant for […]
5 Tips On Applying For Aid And Attendance
Applying for Aid and Attendance benefits can be a complicated process. The VA doesn’t offer much guidance on the application process, and government forms are burdensome to begin with. The following tips on applying for aid and attendance aren’t designed to be exhaustive. They are designed to help you avoid some of the common pitfalls […]
VA Form 21-534 EZ, Question 16
Question number 16 on VA Form 21-534 EZ asks the applicant what benefit they want to apply for. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers three choices: Death and Indemnity Compensation, Death Pension, and Accrued Benefits. Naturally the VA doesn’t provide clear guidance on what box to check. Before I tell you why it may not […]
WARMS: The VA Employee Bible
On March 18, 2014 the Department of Veterans Affairs updated their Web Automated Reference Material System. The Web Automated Reference Material System, often referred to as WARMS, is considered the “bible” for VA employees. WARMS teaches VA employees how to dispose of issues including, but not limited to, Compensation and Pension. The manual summarizes the […]