Help with Caregiver Costs: Acutal or Projected?

[muirhouse]

In order to get the maximum A and A benefit your medical expenses have to equal or exceed your income. But, the VA uses gross income, not the money actually available for expenses and deposited to your account after withholding. I have been told by the VA and others that VA will only consider caregiver costs that have already been paid, not the true cost of a projected 24/7 worker.  In our case family has been the caregivers for way below cost, and now must be replaced by a real $20/hour caregivers 24/7.  Veteran does not have enough money to actually pay this cost - unless I change his withholding to 0 which would release enough money to have medical expenses equal income.  Unless projected costs are not allowed?  How to handle this?  We have actually won an award for 1/2 of a full benefit, and need to appeal, but this is our dilemma. Also, if you appeal, will this take the same 6 months it took our application?  Our Dad is 96.

So:  Perhaps what I have to do is change his military pension withholding to 0 then those withheld taxes would be available to pay caregivers and the gross income figures would match the caregiver expenditure.  Has no one else been stymied by this?  Thanks!

[Fit2009]

You can always pay what you can and get less than the full benefit, when you get that you pay more (using those VA funds) and then submit the increased expenses to get the increased funds from the VA.

[caregiver48]

hi
if my mother is receiving A&A and it is not  enough to cover caregiver costs  do i have any options on how to get an increase.  i am her caregiver and she receives 600 a month and get social security of 480 a month.  she needs 24/7 care as she is 93 and has dementia.  i am keeping records of her medical expenses such as prescription co-pays, depends, glucerna,and other costs but i thought this could only be reported on evr yearly.  is there any way to get an increase to her award?  thanks in advance for responding.

[vetadmin]

Yes, you would do a 21-4138 Statement in Support of Claim showing the increase in her care expenses.  She would have to pay you more in order to show the need for the increase to offset the costs.  If she is not paying you more to bring the expenses up, then the VA is not going to see a need for the increase.