I subscribe to an e-mail newsletter provided by the National Care Planning Council.  It is an awesome resource for information for senior citizens with everything from assisted living, to insurance options, medicare help, elder care law info, and VA benefits, to name just a few.  Today I received this information from them on VA benefits for long term care....not just for the vet but for the spouse of the vet (even if he/she was never a veteran).  It's great information to have to pass onto our senior clients.

A valuable government benefit is simply going to waste because hardly anyone is aware of it.  

Very few people know that the Department of Veterans Affairs will pay a benefit for the long term care costs of a spouse who is married to a healthy veteran.  As an example, suppose the wife of a veteran is paying the ongoing costs of assisted living.  She is not a veteran and her veteran husband does not need care.  If they meet the asset test and the income test because of her costs, her husband can receive up to $1,120 a month from VA to help cover her costs.  This works for home care and nursing home costs as well.

Your local VA regional office will probably tell you this benefit doesn't exist.  It does exist and with the proper documentation and evidence you can get a Pension benefit for a non-veteran spouse of a living veteran.

Please don't become confused.  Everyone seems to know that VA will pay up to $1,843 a month for a veteran who is married and who himself is incurring the ongoing cost of long term care.  Alternately, a single veteran can receive up to $1,555 a month to help pay for long term care.  Everyone also knows that the single surviving spouse of a veteran could receive up to $999 a month.  This program is called Improved Pension or Pension or is more commonly referred to as the aid and attendance benefit.

Unfortunately, most veterans benefits consultants have been telling veteran couples for years that the non-veteran spouse married to a living veteran cannot qualify for any benefit under Pension.  There is no provision on the application form for the spouse to apply nor are there any instructions from VA about this benefit.

The National Care Planning Council through our veterans benefits package can help veteran households qualify for this seemingly unknown benefit for the non-veteran spouse.  To learn more about our package and how to become a veterans benefits consultant call us at

800-989-8137 or go online at www.consultantspackage.com

www.MaryWarren.com