A & A without prior service from VA?

[frga]

I am so excited to find this site. I'm really needing some advice. My dad is a WWll veteran and has only been seen by a VA clinic one time back in 1995. (I'm not sure how many times he had to visit the clinic or how long his treatment was.) He has basically had good health for most of his life and no problems or injuries from the war that required him to seek clinic care. So, now the problem is that he's 89 years old, he's house-bound, requires help to to absolutely everything (feed himself, dress himself, etc.) and my mom really could use some extra help. Everytime they have applied for anything, they make too much money...I'm not talking big bucks...He has a basic retirement from the US post office and she gets this little check from social security. We're talking "middle class, worked all their lives, can't afford nursing home or assisted living.."

Anyway, someone told us about Aid and Assistance from the VA. I talked to a VA rep at the VFW and he thought they might qualify, but, he said since my dad had not been in the system except for that one time in 1995, there might be a problem applying for it. Has anyone else found this to be true?

[vetadmin]

Welcome to the forums, and we hope that you will find the support and information here to be helpful.

The good news is that what you were told by the VFW is incorrect.  If your dad meets the financial requirements along with the other guidelines for qualifying for Housebound, you need to file.  Any other services he may have had in the past from the VA have nothing to do with this, so disregard what you were told.

This pension is not based on service related injuries or other treatments from the VA. It is a "pension" rather than a disability "compensation", and your dad is entitled to it simply by his service and being a veteran. 

Good Luck!

[frga]

Thank you so much for your quick and encouraging reply.  I will go on with the process, then. Although people that I have spoken to have been so willing to be of some help, I kept getting the feeling that they really did not know what they were talking about. They spent most of the time searching through handbooks and such..Anyway, again, I am so glad that I found this site. I may be back on soon asking for support or more encouraging words!