Are you a veteran in Jacksonville, NC, and considering joining an assisted living community? If you are, you will be glad to know that you can enjoy numerous benefits. Therefore, here is all you need to know about the various veteran benefits for assisted living in Jacksonville, NC.
How an Assisted Living Community Assists Veterans
It’s possible that veterans, including you, who return home will no longer be able to reside in the homes they left. Veterans with certain impairments may require accessible housing or support services if they can’t live independently.
At the same time, you (like many others in their golden years) may also find it difficult to do everyday activities including meal preparation, housework, and cleanliness. Thankfully, assisted living communities are specially-designed to help you as a veteran in your golden years. Common community spaces include a dining room and gathering places for social and recreational activities.
Not to mention, you can take advantage of team members’ help which may include:
- Medical Assistance
- Hygiene, which includes grooming, clothing, and using the restroom
- Laundry and cleaning are included in housekeeping
- Preparing meals and cleaning up
- Prescription reminders
Monetary Benefits for Veterans (Veteran-Directed Home and Community Based Services)
Apart from the physical or emotional benefits of a memory care community, as a veteran, you can also enjoy monetary benefits. Specifically, you could be qualified for the Veteran-Directed Home and Community-Based Services program.
Essentially, this program allows you to receive aid with paying for case management, specialized services, and support with everyday tasks like bathing and meal preparation. The program also gives you the option to employ your own personal care assistants and a flexible budget for services.
What about the eligibility? You are automatically eligible for this benefit, as long as you are found to have a clinical need for the service and it is offered in your location since it is a component of the VHA Standard Medical Benefits Package.
The VHA Standard Medical Benefits Package is available to veterans of all ages who served in the military and were released or dismissed for reasons other than dishonorable. If you received an early or hardship release due to a handicap you acquired or worsened while serving will be considered eligible. Members of the National Guard or Reserves on active duty for training only are not eligible.
Monetary Benefits for Veterans (Aid & Attendance and Housebound)
You could also be qualified for housebound or aid & attendance benefits. The monthly pension is paid in addition to these kinds of benefits. This is also known as veterans’ elder care benefits, an increased pension, or a VA benefit for assisted living.
What it does is assist you, as a veteran, in paying for the care provided by an assisted living community.
Even though the precise benefit amount depends on your Maximum Annual Pension Rate category, being eligible for Aid & Attendance or housebound status might provide thousands in extra pension benefits each year.
If you are housebound and without dependents, you would be eligible for an extra $2,923 in pension benefits per year. An additional $8,796 might be received yearly if you are eligible for Aid & Attendance but has no dependents. Keep in mind that you can only get one of the two benefits—Housebound benefit or Aid & Attendance.
What about the eligibility? Here are some things you need to qualify to be eligible for Aid & Attendance:
- Require the assistance of another person to do personal tasks including eating, dressing, using the restroom, or changing prosthetics
- Patients in retirement communities due to physical or mental disability
- Either concentric constriction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less or corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes.
- Bedridden or obliged to stay in bed, unless receiving therapy or convalescence as directed
