Page 20 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, May 17, 2019 S by Jim Miller The Long-Term Care Benefit Many Veterans Are Missing Out On Dear Savvy Senior, I have heard that the VA has a benefit that can help veterans and spouses with long-term care costs. We recently had to move my 86-year-old father – who served in the army nearly 60 years ago – into an assisted living facility, and my mom isn’t far behind. Can the VA help? Seeking Aid Dear Seeking, The Veterans Administration does indeed have a little-known, underutilized benefit that can help wartime veterans and their surviving spouses pay for a variety of long-term care costs. This benefit, called “Aid and Attendance,” is a special pension that’s paid in addition to a basic pension. It pays a maximum of $2,230 a month to married veterans; $1,881 a month to single veterans; or $1,209 a month to a surviving spouse. The money is tax free, and can be used to pay for in-home care, assisted living and nursing home care. Today, only around 230,000 veterans and survivors receiving Aid and Attendance, but millions more are eligible and either don’t know about it, or don’t think they can qualify for it. Eligibility Requirements To qualify, your dad must have served at least 90 days of active military service with at least one day of service during a period of war, and not have been discharged dishonorably. Single surviving spouses of wartime vets are eligible if their marriage ended due to death. In addition, your dad will also have to meet certain thresholds for medical and financial need to be eligible. To qualify medically he must be either disabled, or over the age of 65 and need help with basic everyday living tasks such as eating, dressing, bathing or going to the bathroom. Being blind or in a nursing home or assisted living facility due to mental disability also qualifies him. Single surviving spouses have no age restrictions, but they must require help with basic everyday living tasks to be eligible. To qualify financially, your parents must have limited assets, under $127,061, excluding their home, vehicle and personal belongings. And their annual income (minus medical and long-term care expenses) cannot exceed the Maximum Allowable Pension Rate (MAPR), which in 2019 is $26,766 for a veteran and their spouse; $22,577 for a single veteran; and $14,509 for a surviving spouse. To calculate your parent’s income qualifications, add up their income over the past year (including Social Security, pensions, interest income from investments, annuities, etc.), minus any out-of-pocket medical expenses, prescription drugs, insurance premiums and long-term care costs over that same period of time. If the final tally is under the MAPR, and he meets the other requirements, he should be eligible for aid. How to Apply To learn more, or to apply for Aid and Attendance, contact your regional VA benefit office (see Benefits.va.gov/benefits/offices.asp or call 800–827–1000) where you can apply in person. You can also apply by writing the Pension Management Center for your state (see Benefits.va.gov/pension/resources-contact. asp). You’ll need to include evidence, like VA Form 21-2680 (VA. gov/vaforms) which your dad’s doctor can fill out that shows his need for Aid and Attendance. If you need some help, you can appoint a Veteran Service Officer (VSO), a VA-accredited attorney or claims agent to represent your dad. See www.ebenefits.va.gov/ebenefits/vso-search to locate someone. If your dad is eligible, it will take between six and 12 months for his application to be processed, so be patient. You should also know that if your dad’s Aid and Attendance application is approved, the VA will send a lump sum retroactive payment covering the time from the day you filed the application until the day it was approved. Then your dad receives monthly payments going forward. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. DEBATE | from page 3 the only – Town Meeting that elects the moderator from among its members. The Town Charter specifically states that Robert’s Rules of Order are the governing practice of Saugus Town Meeting. And within Robert’s Rules of Order, the process for resolutions and point of personal privilege are outlined. “Saugus Town Meeting has gone out of its way to make sure the voice of any one individual will be heard. Saugus Town Meeting has always allowed the voice of any one member to be heard. That’s why just one member can request a roll call vote,” Manoogian said Wallace questions Open Meeting Law argument “I would like to say I was quietly talking to the Moderator and he said I can’t discuss anything not on the agenda as it would violate Open Meeting Laws,” Wallace said in an interview this week. “I contacted the Attorney General’s Office and was told that is not the real reason why I was not allowed to speak and they wouldn’t waste their time investigating it even if there was a complaint,” Wallace said. The website for the state Attorney General’s Division of Open Government notes that Town Meeting does not come under the jurisdiction of the state Open Meeting Law. “He [Doherty] said Town Meeting has nothing to do with the custodians. That’s not true. We approve the 30mill that pays their salaries … I strongly believe other Town officials pressured the Moderator to not let me speak, which I feel could be a violation of my free speech rights as an elected official and a lifelong Saugus resident,” he said. Wallace also questions why he has been denied the opportunity to speak while a fellow Town Meeting member whose resolution was not on the warrant was permitted to do so two years ago. At the 2017 Annual Town Meeting, Precinct 4 Town Meeting Member Albert J. DiNardo was allowed to discuss his nonbinding resolution for a study on health-care costs even though it wasn’t on the warrant. Once the motion to table discussion of the resolution died by a slim 17-19 vote, the article itself sailed by a wide margin: 36-1, with two abstentions. Wallace said it looks like DiNardo benefited from “favoritism” because he lives across the street from Doherty. Get great deals now on advertising rates: Call Jim at 781-983-6187 Publishing free every week in Everett, Malden, Revere and Saugus 1. On May 17, 1826, why did John James Audubon depart for England? 2. In Bermuda the last Friday in May is called Bermuda Day; what does it celebrate? 3. On the TV sitcom “The Honeymooners,” where did Norton work? 4. In Dickens’ “Oliver Twist” what is Jack Dawkins’ nickname? 5. On May 18, 1642, what Canadian city was founded on an island? 6. In what sport are arrobas a unit of measure meaning 25 lbs.? 7. Which U.S. state has never seen subzero temperatures? 8. How many kids were in “The Brady Bunch”? 9. On May 20, 1768, what First Lady was born? (Hint: bipartisan hostess.) 10. According to Guinness World Records, the oldest vegetarian restaurant is Switzerland’s Haus Hitl, which dates from 1861, 1898 or 1922? 11. What rose’s name is patriotic? 12. In May what horse race is in Baltimore, Md.? 13. On May 21, 1881, who founded the American Red Cross? (Hint: initials CB.) 14. What actor appeared in “Raging Bull,” “The Godfather Part II” and “Casino”? 15. What color is San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge? 16. Whose theme song was “Inka Dinka Doo”? 17. On May 22, 1906, who received a patent for “new and useful improvement in Flying Machines”? 18. In James Barrie’s “Peter Pan,” what kind of dog protected the Darling children? 19. On May 22, 1885, what Parisian was born who said, “Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come”? (Hint: initials VH.) 20. What singer is known as “The Demon of Screamin’? Answers below, please no cheating! FROM PAGE 20 1. Because he couldn’t find an American publisher for his bird drawings collection 2. Officially, the first day of summer; unofficially, its Ok to go boating, wear Bermuda shorts, etc. 3. The NYC sewers 4. The Artful Dodger 5. Montréal 6. 7. Hawaii 8. Six 9. Dolley Madison 10. 1898 11. The American Beauty 12. The Preakness In Spanish bullfighting, to weigh the bulls 13. Clara Barton 14. Robert De Niro 15. International Orange (so it can be seen in the fog) 16. Jimmy Durante’s 17. Orville and Wilbur Wright 18. Nana, a St. Bernard 19. Victor Hugo 20. Steve Tyler
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