Archive for July, 2008

Recently, I learned of a V.A. aid and attendants program available to veterans or their spouses. Under this program, a veteran can receive a maximum of $1673.00 per month in benefits, and a spouse can receive up to $869.00 per month.

To qualify for this program a veteran must have had 90 days or more of active duty, only one day of which was during wartime. It is not necessary that they saw combat. They must not have had a dishonorable discharge.

In addition, the veteran or spouse must be determined to be “permanently and totally disabled.” This includes but no limited to: trouble dressing/undressing him or herself, blindness, and mental or physical incapacity.

The veteran or spouse does not need to be house bound or considered helpless. You just have to prove the person is in need of aid and attendance on a regular basis. The V.A. will generally accept a letter from a physician, which should state that the person has an incapacity that requires care or assistance on a regular basis to live safely at home.

There is a net worth requirement for this program. This is something the V.A. could assist you with since it changes on a routine basis. The last known net worth cutoff was $80,000, not including your home.

In addition to the net worth requirement, there is also an income requirement. The veteran’s countable income should not exceed the maximum annual pension rate which is currently $1,673 (adjusted periodically), or $869.00 per month for the spouse. However, some items may be deducted from income in order to meet this criteria. For example: doctor and dental visits, co-payments, medical supplies, therapy, transportation to the doctor, ect.

It can take up to ninety days to receive approval. However, once approved payments are made retroactively from the first month after the month that you apply. So, funds you previously spent on home care may be reimbursed to you when the V.A. aid and attendants coverage starts.

This information was provided by Interim Healthcare Private Services (Ocala, Florida), which provides quality home care to veterans and others needing assistance. To view their website, click on the link: www.interimhealthcare.com

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Recently, I had a friend tell me about her grandfather who was left outside all day at a facility in the Ocala/Gainesville area. In Florida, it isn’t unusual to experience 100 degree days. Imagine being trapped outside without water, food, or a toilet. Where were the employees to assist him? The bigger question–why was he not missed? Unattended, this poor man suffered as a result of neglect.

There are many types of abuse such as: physical, mental, verbal, sexual, and intellectual/spiritual abuse. Neglect is considered a more passive form of abuse. For example, if your job was to change Mrs. Smith’s depends every evening, and you knowingly decided not to, and as a result she sat in urine for hours, you passively abused the rights of Mrs. Smith.

As with all types of abuse, they can eventually cause severe mental or physical damage. Sometimes the symptoms can be obvious such as a change in personality or physical evidence (i.e., severe bruising). One must be careful in making assumptions too quickly, because false claims could really damage the name of a reputable nursing home.

For example, one facility where I worked the family called the state to do a thorough investigation because their mother’s arms were severely bruised. Afterwards they found out that the bruising was mostly caused from taking her new medication, Coumadin.

If you believe your loved one or someone else is being abused, it is important to investigate it. Nursing homes have social workers, which can act as your advocate. Another option is your local ombudsman, which is unaffiliated with the nursing home. Information to finding the your nursing home ombudsman can be found at the facility.

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