Applying for Aid and Attendance benefits can be a confusing and time consuming process. The VA is actually improving their turn-around time on new claims but the red-tape still exists. This article should help you properly complete a claim for VA Aid and Attendance pension benefits. However, I first recommend making sure you qualify for […]
Aid And Attendance Form: Which Should You Use?
The specific aid and attendance form you should to submit to the VA depends on which benefit you are applying for and where you are in the application process. Submitting the wrong aid and attendance form to the Department of Veterans Affairs can cause a request for more information letter or a denial letter. Even […]
VA Form 21-8049: Prelude To A Denial
VA Form 21-8049 is the form that the Department of Veterans Affairs requests when a claimant for aid and attendance pension has net worth issues. Net worth must be provided to the VA on the aid and attendance application. If the VA thinks that the applicant’s net worth might be excessive, a request for more […]
VA Form 21-686c — Status of Dependents
VA Form 21-686c is the Declaration of Status of Dependents Form. Unlike many of the forms I write about, VA Form 21-686c is used for aid and attendance pension benefits and compensation benefits. The 686c is an important form. Veterans receive more money from the Department of Veterans Affairs if they have dependents. The more […]
Pennsylvania Irrevocable Trust
A Pennsylvania Irrevocable Trust can come in many different shapes and sizes. Depending on the creator’s goals and specific situation, a Pennsylvania Irrevocable Trust can be drafted in a variety of ways. The specific language of the trust will depend on a variety of circumstances that are unique to the person creating the trust. This […]
VA Form 21P-0970 — A New NOD For Denials
VA Form 21P-0970 doesn’t actually exist, at least not yet. However, the Federal Register posted a Notice for a comment period that ends July 22, 2016. This means that the public has the opportunity to submit their thoughts to the Department of Veterans Affairs. What Is VA Form 21P-0970 VA Form 21P-0970 is part of […]
The VA’s New Definition Of Custodial Care
As some of my loyal readers know, I regularly peruse the VA’s Web Automated Reference Material System. WARMS, as I affectionately call it, houses VA employee manuals. These manuals direct VA employees on how to properly adjudicate claims. WARMS is updated regularly and provides valuable insight into how the VA should be operating on any given […]
Blue Water Veterans
Blue Water Veterans is a phrase commonly used to describe Vietnam veterans that served on open sea ships off the shore of Vietnam. The Department of Veterans Affairs treats Blue Water Veterans differently than Brown Water Veterans in disability compensation claims. Brown Water Navy Veterans served on the inland waterways in the Republic of Vietnam. […]
Marginal Employment And TDIU
A fundamental tenet of TDIU is the unemployability of the claimant. To receive a greater monthly benefit than the scheduler rating dictates, the VA says that the claimant must demonstrate, through medical records and other evidence, an inability to work. Unemployability and the inability to work, however, are not categorical or clear-cut. I’ve already written […]
Consulting the BVA: A Series
Subject: TDIU Consulting the BVA will be an on-going series. I will read BVA opinions and share what I learn. I like to read through BVA opinions to glean insight into the best ways to overturn VA denial letters. While Board of Veterans Appeals decisions are not binding, they often provide valuable clues for how […]