Sadly, many individuals and families who are eligible for veterans benefits do not take advantage of them. The fact is, millions of wartime veterans and their spouses may be eligible for special monthly pension benefits solely because they are over 65 years of age and are homebound, or living in an assisted living facility, Board and Care or other supportive living arrangement. These veterans and/or their survivors only need to prove that their medical expenses exceed certain income and asset limitations. The maximum benefit available can provide significant help in paying for long-term care costs.
The Law Offices of Osofsky & Osofsky can assist you and your family by explaining many difficult-to-understand aspects of long-term care. However, qualification for a veteran benefit is only one of several concerns that must be considered. As you struggle to provide dignified long-term care for a wartime veteran and/or their spouse, we can help you understand all of your options. We want to help you stretch your hard-earned money further by making every available resource available to you and your family.
Our attorney, Gene L. Osofsky, has been accredited by the Department of Veterans affairs to handle these cases, accreditation being a special legal requirement recently enacted. He is also a graduate of the Veterans Benefits Institute in Chicago.
Mr. Osofsky cautions families that planning for Veterans Benefits should ALWAYS take into account the special requirements of the California Medi-Cal Long Term Care program, as the rules for the two programs are very different. To devise a plan to qualify for Veterans Benefits without ALSO making sure the plan is compliant with Medi-Cal could prove disastrous to the Veteran and his family if he or she should later need care in a nursing facility. For example, gifting away assets to qualify for Veterans Benefits may be perfectly acceptable in the right circumstances, but the same gifts could generate a very long period of ineligibility for Medi-Cal nursing home benefits. This could provde disastrous should the Veteran later need Medi-Cal to help pay for a nursing home stay.