VETERAN’S PENSION AND SURVIVORS BENEFITS
After haven served their nation with great honor and being the guarantor of peace and sovereignty, illustrate no reason why veterans shouldn’t benefit from pension allowances. The United States has designated a veteran’s pension program, through its States Congress known as the Wartime Pension. This pension program can also be known as the Basic Pension or Improved Income. There exist other additional pension remunerations, which are always determined by the eligibility of veterans to benefit from. These benefits include:
- The A&A (Aid & Attendance) benefit for ex-service members above the age of 65, who require support with activities for daily living; and,
- The Housebound for ex-service members with a disability rating of 100% which prevents them from leaving their premises, but does not relate to their soldierly service.
Discussing how this veteran’s pension program and benefits work, will help illustrate which veteran is eligible for which category named above.
1) The Wartime Pension
This pension program from its name shows that a veteran must have at least served a day in war during the U.S. wartime periods. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), have helped by publishing a list of wartime periods, to help ex-service members identify their aptness in the wartime service criterion. As of now, the Veterans Administration identifies the following wartime periods in determining the entitlement of veterans to their veteran’s wartime pension. These periods include:
- The Mexican Border Period from May 9, 1916-April 5, 1917 for ex-service members who served in Mexico, on its adjacent waters or borders
- World War I from April 6, 1917-November 11, 1918
- World War II from December 7, 1941-January 31, 1946
- Korean War from June 27, 1950-January 31, 1955
- Vietnam War from February 28, 1961-May 7, 1975 for ex-service members who served in the Republic of Vietnam, and August 5, 1964-May 7, 1975 for ex-service members who served anywhere during the Vietnam War wartime era
- Gulf War from August 2, 1990-through a forthcoming date to be set by a Presidential Proclamation or by the U.S. Congress.
Eligibility of the Wartime Pension Program
With veterans haven identified their aptness for each wartime period, certain eligibility criteria need to be fulfilled for them to become active beneficiaries of the wartime pension. These eligibility criteria comprise:
- Not being discharged for disreputable reasons
- Served 90 days of active soldierly duty
- Served at least a day during the U.S. wartime periods
- Have a countable household revenue below a certain yearly limit as set by law (The Congress)
- Is aged 65 and above
- Is lastingly and disabled, not due to his or her willful wrongdoing
How to Apply for a Wartime Veteran Pension
It is highly recommended to seek the support of a Veteran Service Officer when dealing with Wartime Veteran’s Pension paper works. The VSO will assist in gathering all necessary documents at no cost.
Also, ex-service members can apply for a wartime pension by filing the Veterans Application Form for Pension and/or Compensation (VA Form 21-526). Also, attach the following documents to your application as listed below.
- Separation or Discharge papers (DD214 or equivalent)
- Dependency records (marriage and children’s birth certificates)
- A piece of medical evidence (hospital records)
After haven provided the above eligibility requirements, and identifying a wartime period to which a veteran had served, together with the process of application, without doubt, gives an ex-service member the right to a pension allowance.
2) Aid and Assistance Veteran’s Pension Benefits
The Aid and Assistance benefit is an additional payment to the basic pension, which provides eligible veterans with out of pocket medical expenses.
Eligibility of Aid and Assistance
For ex-service members to be eligible for this benefit, one of the following assertions needs to be true about him or her.
- The ex-service member needs the regular aid of another individual, to perform daily living tasks. These tasks may include; attending to want of nature, bathing, eating, adjusting prosthetic devices, dressing, feeding, and or even needing protection.
- The veteran is a patient and requires the care of a nursing facility due to physical or mental helplessness related to disability.
- He or she spends a greater percentage of the day in bed or has to stay in bed because of sickness.
- The veteran is almost blind or completely blind
How to Apply for an Aid and Attendance Benefit
Aid and Attendance benefits can be applied by a handwritten document to the Veterans Affairs office having prerogative over the claim. This will be the administrative center where the claim was filed for pension benefits. But if a veteran is not sure of which VA office will handle the claim, then he or she can file the request with any Veterans Affairs Regional Office.
Include documents of evidence by a physician authenticating the need for Aid and Attendance benefit. The report needs to be satisfactorily detailed in determining the sickness or injury, generating mental and physical impairment.
Also, the report should illustrate how well the ex-service member gets around, and what he or she can do on a daily base.
3) Housebound Pension Benefit
The housebound is an exceptional monthly compensation for veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury. Otherwise, also known as VA Special Monthly Compensation, provides ex-service members who are housebound, with a 100% disability rate.
Eligibility for a Housebound Benefit
For a veteran to be eligible for a housebound, must be able to meet the following criteria.
- Should be considerably confined in a dwelling as a result of service-related disabilities.
- Being judiciously certain that the veteran’s disability will persist for a lifetime period.
Applying for a housebound benefit is a similar process to that of Aid and Attendance, as they possess a unique criterion in the application.
Endnote
As an important facet of persons in society, military veterans or ex-service members are highly prioritized when it comes to retirement benefits. Their pension allowances are tax-free and are not exposed to federal income or revenue tax. Concerning state tax, beneficiaries will need to check with taxing authorities in identifying if the veterans pension allowance is subjected to state income tax.