VFW POST 9810, WARSAW

Transcription

1 VFW POST 9810, WARSAW 364 Bruce Costin Rd. August 31, 2013 Warsaw, NC Volume 1, Issue 2 Phone: Meetings: 3rd Monday Every JOSEPH D. MILLER LETTER FROM THE COMMANDER I would like focus this month on a benefit few Veterans know about, it is called the Aid and Attendance and Housebound Improved Pension benefit, the following pages explain in detail this important benefit. I also had the good fortune to host at my house, an old Marine who showed up in Kenansville on a Mission to bring attention to the suicide rate in the Armed Services right now. Currently we have lost more service men and women to suicide than we have to hostile fire, a sobering thought. This Marine had walked across America, from Washington State, and was en route to the Marine Memorial in Washington DC., his website and inspiring story can be seen here: In October, Yearly dues will start being due, Please pay now as come January 1st 2014, the annual dues go up by dollars a year. It is a great time to lock in your lifetime membership rates now with our 12 month program, it can be started for as little as dollars and for most, about a month for a year and you are done. Once you have paid up your dues, talk with your wife, the Ladies Auxiliary is still going strong and would welcome your better half. Lastly, if any Comrade knows of any military members living in the local area, please get their number, ask them about joining the VFW, or just pass the information on to me. I am actively looking for new members, and so should each one of you.

2 The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound pension benefits may be available to wartime Veterans and surviving spouses who have inhome care or who live in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities. Eligibility: A Veteran or surviving spouse may be eligible for A&A when he or she: Requires the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting himself or herself from the hazards of his or her daily environment, OR, Is bedridden, in that his/her disability or disabilities requires that he/she remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment, OR, Is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, OR, Is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less. For a wartime Veteran or surviving spouse to qualify for an A&A monthly pension, the Veteran must have served at least 90 days of active military service, one day of which was during a period of war, and be discharged under conditions other than dishonorable. Wartime Veterans who entered active duty on or after September 7, 1980, must have completed at least 24 continuous months of military service or the period for which they were ordered to active duty. If all requirements are met, VA determines eligibility for the Aid and Attendance benefit by adjusting for un-reimbursed medical expenses from the Veteran's or surviving spouse's total household income. If the remaining income amount falls below the annual income threshold for the Aid and Attendance benefit, VA pays the difference between the claimant's household income and the Aid and Attendance threshold. The Aid and Attendance income threshold for a Veteran without dependents is currently $20,447 annually. The threshold increases to $24,239 if a Veteran has one dependent, and by $2,093 for each additional dependent. The annual Aid and Attendance threshold for a surviving spouse alone is $13,138. This threshold increases to $15,673 if there is one dependent child and by $2,093 for each additional child. A Veteran may be eligible for Housebound benefits when: The Veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND, due to such disability, he/she is permanently and substantially confined to his/her immediate premises, OR, The Veteran has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percentdisabling AND, another disability, or disabilities, evaluated as 60 percent or more disabling.

3 Benefit Highlights: A&A is a VA benefit paid in addition to monthly pension to assist wartime Veterans and surviving spouses who have in-home care or who live in nursing homes or assisted-living facilities. The VA A&A and Housebound benefits are paid in addition to the VA monthly pension. A Veteran cannot receive both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time. Housebound is an enhanced or special monthly pension benefit paid in addition to basic pension. You may not receive enhanced or special monthly pension without first establishing eligibility for basic VA pension. However, because enhanced pension is based upon a higher income limit, a claimant ineligible for basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible for enhanced pension benefits. Applying for A&A or Housebound benefits. Veterans may apply for A&A or Housebound benefits by writing to the VA regional office having jurisdiction of the claim (the office where the Veteran filed a claim for pension benefits). If the regional office of jurisdiction is not known, Veterans may file the request with any VA regional office. Applications may be submitted online at The application should include copies of any evidence, preferably a report from an attending physician validating the need for Aid and Attendance or Housebound type care. The report should be in sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether the claimant is confined to the home or immediate premises. Whether the claim is for Aid and Attendance or Housebound, the report should indicate how well the individual gets around, where the individual goes, and what he or she is able to do during a typical day. Additional Information: For more information regarding the VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits, please refer to the following website maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA):

4 Letter From the Ladies Auxiliary President Lori Costin Smith The theme for the 100 th anniversary of the VFW Ladies Auxiliary is Keeping Our Veterans & Families Strong. If you have not attended a meeting in awhile, I hope you will consider coming back. The VFW and Ladies Auxiliary is a wonderful organization that gives back to our veterans and their families. We need your support. I hope you will help make a difference and join us on Monday, September 16 th at 6:30 pm. American Red Cross Blood Drive The VFW and Ladies Auxiliary VFW will be sponsoring a blood drive on Thursday, September 12 th from 2:00 7:00 pm. We need volunteers to welcome donors and work the canteen. Even if you cannot donate blood, you can still help save lives by volunteering your time. Everyone can play a role in building a successful blood drive. Americanism Americanism chairman, Edith Costin, will be giving the POW-MIA Table Ceremony at the VFW meeting on Monday, September 16 th. In 2011, Governor Beverly Perdue designated September as Military Suicide Awareness Month in North Carolina. If you are a Veteran in crisis or you are a friend or family member of a Veteran in crisis, there is help. The Veterans Crisis Line connects Veterans in crisis and their loved ones with qualified, caring responders 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. For free, confidential support call and Press 1. Cancer Aid and Research Cancer Grants of $550 are available to sisters who have been a member in good standing for a minimum one year. There is a limit of two grants per person in a lifetime and they must be twelve months apart. For a cancer grant application, contact Lori Smith (910) or the Ladies Auxiliary VFW at (816) Ext. 29.

5 Paula Woods How do I obtain a VA Home Loan Certificate of Eligibility or a duplicate of a certificate? VA Home Loan Certificate of Eligibility Apply online To get your Certificate of Eligibility (COE) online, please go to the ebenefits portal. If you already have login credentials, click the Login box, and if you need login credentials, please click the Register box and follow the directions on the screen. Apply through your lender Most lenders have access to the Web LGY system. This Internet-based application can establish eligibility and issue an online COE in a matter of seconds. Not all cases can be processed through Web LGY - only those for which VA has sufficient data in our records. However, Veterans are encouraged to ask their lenders about this method of obtaining a certificate. Apply by mail Use VA Form , Request for Certificate of Eligibility and a copy of your DD Form 214 to the following address. To obtain this form you can to va.gov. Then select Veterans Service, next select Home Loans. Look on the left under (search) you will see (How do I obtain a VA Home Loan Certificate of Eligibility or a duplicate of a certificate)? Click there and you will find the highlighted area for the VA Form You can fill this form out on the computer and print. Send the completed form and DD 214 to: VA Loan Eligibility Center Attn: COE (262) PO Box Decatur, GA Surviving Spouses Spouses must apply by mail using VA Form , Request for Determination of Loan Guaranty Eligibility - Unmarried Surviving Spouses. If your Veteran spouse died after service, VA must determine that the death was due to a service-connected disability. Please allow 2-3 months for this process unless you know that the decision on serviceconnected death has already been made. If you can't print the form, just call and follow the prompts for Eligibility and we will mail the form to you. It is anticipated as a result of VA and DoD data exchanges that most individuals seeking to register will be in DEERS. Those that are not should call the ebenefits Help Desk at for further instructions. 5

6 Calendar of Events and Membership Application / Membership Every member knows of another Veteran who has not joined, give them the chance dollars a year.

7 JOIN US AT OUR RECRUITING BOOTH AT THE FESTIVAL

8 PLEASE PLACE STAMP HERE