How To Apply for Veterans Benefits for Assisted Living

If you are a veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran, you have likely heard of Veterans Benefits. This benefit is through the Aid and Attendance Pension Benefit and allows veterans and/or their surviving spouses who are in need of financial help to get it through monthly tax-free amounts.

If you are a veteran or the surviving spouse of a veteran who is looking to make the move into assisted living, it is first important to make sure that the assisted living community you are looking into accepts Veterans Benefits as a form of financial assistance. Most communities that do accept this benefit will have it listed on their website as we do here at Solterra Senior Living. Now you may be wondering how to apply for Veterans Benefits for assisted living.

It can seem daunting, but this guide can help make things easier:

Make Sure You Qualify

Before you get into the application process for Veterans Benefits, you need to make sure you actually qualify for them. In order to be eligible for the benefit, you or your spouse had to serve in the active military, naval, or air service, and must not have received a dishonorable discharge. You can view the full eligibility requirements here.

Make Sure You Have the Right Documents

You will need a lot of information to successfully apply for Veterans Benefits. You’ll need your social security number, your spouse, and any qualified dependents, plus your military discharge papers or your spouse’s. Insurance information will be requested, including Medicare or any private or employee-sponsored insurance.

You will also need to know financial information such as your gross household income from the last calendar year and your deductible expenses, such as health care and education costs, from the past year.

Applying for Veterans Benefits for Assisted Living

There are five different ways on how to apply for Veterans Benefits for assisted living. You can do it online at this website. If you prefer to do it over the phone, there’s a toll-free hotline you can call at 877-222-8387. You may also apply by mail by filling out an application form and mailing it in. If it is easy for you to visit a VA medical center or clinic or your state’s Department of Veterans Affairs, you can apply in person there. Finally, you can utilize the help of a trained professional to apply.

Work With the Assisted Living

Another option on how to apply for Veterans Benefits for assisted living is by going through the assisted living community itself and seeing what help they offer.

Here at Solterra Senior Living, we have staff that can help you navigate financial aid options and walk you through the application process for Veterans Benefits. They can also help connect you with Veterans Service Organizations and VA-accredited representatives, agents, and attorneys who are fully equipped to assist you with the application process as well.

If you’d like to check out our community and learn more about how we can help you or your loved one navigate the Veterans Affairs benefits, visit our website! We’d love to give you a tour and show you what home could look like.