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 if the claimant eventually fixes the issue, valuable time will be lost. Unfortunately, the longer the VA benefit process, the more chance the claimant will die and not receive any money from the VA.
Please refer to my comprehensive guide on the aid and attendance application to help you through the aid and attendance maze. I’ve also written articles on specific VA forms, such as the medical examination and the details of expense.
But please read on to learn what aid and attendance form you need.
The aid and attendance form for veterans
If you are a veteran applying for aid and attendance, you will want to submit VA Form 21P-527 EZ. The 527 EZ, or the Application for Pension, is the primary form that a veteran must submit. The VA requests information such as service history, income, assets, and medical expenses.
The VA will review the 21P-527 to determine if the veteran or the veteran and his spouse have excessive income or if their unreimbursed medical expenses are sufficient to meet the statutory requirements. The veteran will want to report medical expenses such as assisted living and home care costs and health insurance premiums.
The aid and attendance form for surviving spouses
If you are a surviving spouse applying for death pension, you must submit VA Form 21P-534 EZ. The VA needs to see information showing that the spouse is eligible for benefits. Therefore, a surviving spouse must report marital history and financial information. If you think your net worth might be excessive, do not apply until you’ve contacted a qualified elder law attorney. Applying with excessive net worth can seriously jeopardize future eligibility.
The aid and attendance form to report medical expenses
I mentioned earlier that the VA form you need will depend on where you are in the application process. If you are submitting an original application for pension, medical expenses can be reported on the 527 EZ or 534 EZ. However, if the claimant has already applied, and then received a request for more information or denial letter, then they will need to submit VA Form 21P-8416 to the VA. VA Form 21P-8416 is the Medical Expense Report. The claimant should use this form to report unreimbursed medical expenses such as home care and assisted living costs.
The aid and attendance form to write the VA a letter
I see many families hand write the VA a letter explaining their situation. Usually, this letter is crafted on a regular piece of paper. Best practices dictate that you should use VA Form 21-4138 to write the VA a letter. When the VA mails a claimant a request for additional information or a denial letter, they are supposed to include VA Form 21-4138 in their response. This form gives the family the opportunity to explain why the claimant is eligible and what other evidence they are including. The VA likes to see information presented in a specific way and on specific forms. So while you may believe your letter in comprehensive, without the correct VA forms, you will not get the result you want.
Of course, there are many aid and attendance forms that a given claimant could submit. It is important that a claimant submit information to the VA in specific ways. The Department of Veterans Affairs prefers information on specific forms and presented in a specific format. Before submitting a claim to the VA, or before responding to a denial letter, contact VA Legal Team today for a no cost consultation.