How does the Fiduciary Process work?: Aid and Attendance Benefit FAQ

Posted in Uncategorized on February 11, 2016
Tags: , , , ,

Question: How does the fiduciary process work for the Aid and How does the Fiduciary Process work?: Aid and Attendance Benefit FAQAttendance veterans benefit?

First and foremost, the fiduciary and applicant (the veteran and/or veteran's spouse) do not start the fiduciary process until the VA has ruled the applicant needs to appoint a fiduciary to manage the Aid and Attendance application. Even if the veteran is completely unable to speak for themselves, the VA has to make the ruling for a fiduciary to be appointed before you can move on to the next steps.

The fiduciary must then appoint themselves and be approved by the VA.
Note: The person asking to be appointed as fiduciary needs to be aware that a felony conviction or a filing of bankruptcy will make you an unacceptable candidate to hold this position.

Once a fiduciary is deemed necessary by the VA, make sure to submit Form 21-4138 and include the following statement as soon as possible to waive the 60 days waiting period to disagree with the VA's findings:

"Please be advised that (parent's name) and I have no issue with the VA finding of incompetence and wish to proceed with the appointment of a fiduciary. We wish to appoint myself (her/his insert your relationship to the veteran) as fiduciary. I understand that I must be interviewed prior to that appointment and would appreciate such an interview be scheduled as soon as possible."

and be sure to include VA Form 21-0845 (Authorization to Disclose Personal Information to a Third Party) so that the fiduciary will be able to call the VA on behalf of the claimant.

The VA will have to approve the individual who acts as the fiduciary as someone reputable to handle the financial affairs according to their guidelines. This will require a meeting with a Field Agent if you request to be appointed. The fiduciary interview will occur at the residence of the applicant.

Due to a lack of Field Agents, the wait time for this meeting to be scheduled can be several months.

If the applicant can show a "financial hardship" because they are soon to be lacking in funds to pay for care, the applicant can try appealing from that standpoint to get an interview sooner. Use form 21-4138 to make this claim.

Once the fiduciary is approved, it should be noted that the fiduciary is the only one who can speak on behalf of the applicant. The applicant cannot call and inquire about their own application. The fiduciary must do so.

How does the Fiduciary Process work?: Aid and Attendance Benefit FAQ

 

4 Responses to “How does the Fiduciary Process work?: Aid and Attendance Benefit FAQ”

  1. […] of the state judge. The VA employs its own set of ratings and may separately appoint a federal fiduciary to manage a veteran’s finances and benefits if the VA doctor has diagnosed them as incompetent […]

  2. Laura Tribbey says:

    Im aid and attend for veteran ......app is in but itslong wait. Im going on fourth month without any pay. Hes 100% with dimentia... they say it will be wpproved but his fiduciary will not pay me and she says she doesnt have to. What do i do

  3. Kaylin says:

    Laura, I think you might be confused. The fiduciary process doesn't start until AFTER the veteran and/or spouse has been approved for the Aid and Attendance benefit. If you are having trouble with very low money - you can always submit a form 21-4138 Statement in Support of Claim letting the VA know you need the application approved soon due to financial hardship. Include any bank statements or anything else that may support that claim.

    Here is the 21-4138: https://www.veteranaid.org/docs/VBA-21-4138-ARE.pdf

Leave a Reply