After returning home from active duty military service, the process of filing for benefits can be exhausting. Beyond the application process itself, knowing which applications to fill out can be hard to decipher.

That’s where Morton Law can help. This process is our profession.

First, to see if a veteran qualifies for any of the veteran benefits below —  basic pension, housebound benefits, or agent benefits — read last week’s blog, ” VA Benefits: Do You Qualify”. This article details the minimum requirements needed for veteran benefit eligibility.

Once those specifications have been met, the next step is deciphering which benefits to apply for. Below is an outline of your options.

Basic Pension

Basic pension is need-based. It’s provided to veterans who are:

• 65 years or older with a limited income or no income, or
• permanently and fully disabled, or
• receiving skilled nursing care in a nursing home, or
• on Social Security Disability Insurance, or
• on Supplemental Security Income

The above qualifications must be met not only for the veteran to receive basic pension, but also for their surviving spouses or children to apply for Survivors Pension.

Housebound Benefits

Housebound benefits are available to veterans who are confined to their homes because of severe and permanent disability. This monthly pension is added to the basic pension mentioned above.

Aid and Attendance Benefits

The Aid & Attendance (A&A) increased monthly pension amount may be added to your monthly pension amount if you meet one of the following conditions:

• You require the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting yourself from the hazards of your daily environment.
• You are bedridden, in that your disability requires that you remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment.
• You are a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity.
• Your eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.

How to Find Help

Which veterans benefits to apply for and how to do so can be confusing. If you have any questions, find more on our website or give us a call at 1-866-925-9797.

Not only do we care about your present well-being, we care about your future too.

~ Ronald Morton