Need answers to help Mom who doesn't want help.

[scarolina]

Here's the story - my Mom is 90yo and thinks she is still young.  The only problem with that is that she is not.  She has very poor balance and wobbles so much that her friends have said they are really concerned about her going places alone.  Her hearing is poor and she won't use hearing aids.  She is still driving which scares the daylights out of me.  We followed her once on a road that she travels daily and she got lost.  She is still working part-time at her church office but they have confided to me that she is not able to do the work anymore and they don't know how much longer they can keep her on.  They cut her hours from 20 down to 8 and have switched her to just doing busy work that doesn't involve detail.

She served during WWII and I have a copy of her discharge papers, but that is about all I have.  She is a very private person and refuses to talk about wills, etc. because as she says "I'm not old and I can take care of myself".  I am trying to find out how much I can do to start the process of VA pension benefits (without her help) so that I can determine if I can afford an Assisted Living facility nearby where she lives.  I would prefer getting it started now so that when the time comes (and it is soon) I will know what we have to work with. 

I was able to get her to go have lunch with a friend whose aunt is in a nice AL place.  Afterward she said she thought the place was really nice, good food etc but it was not for her - too many old people there in wheelchairs and using walkers!!  Her total monthly income is around $1700 which is her salary, SS check and two small pensions from companies where she worked).  She has no other property as she lives in a small rental apartment, and her old car is all she owns.

So, with all of that info, can someone tell me where to start?  Talking to her is not an option as she refuses to talk about important issues.

Thanks for any help.

[vetadmin]

Don't we all hope to see 90 and believe that we are still "young"!

You can print off the application, and start filling it out to the best of your ability.

There are things like the most recent SS award letter and other banking info you will have to find some way to get your hands on, as they are required.  Having her discharge papers is fortunate.

Listed below is a formula to help walk you through how to determine what her "countable" income is for VA purposes.  This will give you a good idea of her qualifying financially.

The VA suggests that its adjudicators use a certain amount of personal judgment on this issue. But the bottom line is: does it realistically appear that the veteran or surviving spouse may outlive their assets? If so, they are likely eligible.

Do NOT count their residence or vehicle when estimating net worth.

Do NOT count a life insurance policy (because the policy holder must be deceased in order to benefit from it).

DO count CDs, annuities, stocks, bonds, savings, checking, IRAs, Keogh, etc.

DO count any assets owned by the spouse as well.

As a rule of thumb, assets should not exceed $80,000. That amount drops depending on the age of claimant.

List below the estimated ANNUAL income of the veteran or surviving spouse:

 Estimate total income (If married include spousal income): ______

All income must be included. This includes social security, pension, interest income, dividends, income from rental property, etc.

If the veteran is married, then any spousal income must also be included.

List all unreimbursed, recurring health care expenses:

 This includes:

 Assisted Living costs (per month): _________________

 Nursing Home costs (per month):________________

 Home Care service (per month):_______________

 Health Insurance premium (per month):_______________

 Medicare premium (per month):_________________

 Regular (unreimbursed) prescriptions
 (per month & verifiable through a pharmacy print-out): _____________

 TOTAL Expenses per month: __________
 (multiply x 12 to get total annual expenses)

Subtract your total annual health care expenses from your total annual income and write the amount here: _____________. This is your "countable" income