A&A benefits for dad if he moves in with my brother

[dankening]

My dad is an 85-year-old WWII vet and widower with a number of health issues who lives alone. He's so far been resistant to the idea of moving to an assisted living facility and is more amenable to my brother's offer for him to move in with him. If he does so, would he still be eligible for A&A benefits if he qualifies regarding the level of assistance he needs? Is the paperwork different than it would be for assisted living? One last thing -- should I assume that the cost of independent living in a continuity of care facility that also includes assisted living and nursing care would not fall under these benefits? Thanks in advance for your assistance.

[vetadmin]

Your Dad can move in with your brother and pay him as a caregiver, but he cannot charge him rent, utilities etc.  It would have to be for caregiver services.

If he were in a "independent" facility, there would have to be services provided such as dispensing meds, assiting him to the dining room, medical emergency responders, and the Doctor's evaluation would have to state that he needs to live in a modified enviornment.

Independent facilities can be an issue with the VA if they are truly an "Independent/Retirement property.

[dankening]

Thanks so much for the response. The facility that I've looked into describes itself as a continuity of care facility, with separate accommodations for independent living, assisted living and nursing care. In fact, the sales person there was the one who first told me about the A&A benefits. She said they have lawyer they work with who would be able to help him get the benefits even for independent living, but I'm a bit skeptical.   

[vetadmin]

This has thrown a red flag up for me.  Can you share who owns the property you are looking at?  There are a couple of "Independent/Retirement properties that have caused a lot of problems for veterans and spouses.