What are Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits? How Do I Apply?
* Aid and Attendance is a benefit paid in addition to monthly pension when:
o The claimant 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/herself from the hazards of his/her daily environment, OR,
o The claimant 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,
o The claimant is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, OR,
o The claimant 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.
* Housebound is paid to a claimant when:
o The claimant is substantially confined to his/her immediate premises because of permanent disability.
The survivor may not receive Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.
How to Apply for Aid and Attendance and Housebound:
* You may apply for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits by writing to the VA regional office having jurisdiction of the claim. That would be the office where you filed a claim for pension benefits. If the regional office of jurisdiction is not known, you may file the request with any VA regional office.
* You 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.