Veterans Affairs

The Best Veteran Benefit You Didn’t Even Know Existed

In addition to other more well-known Veteran’s benefit programs, like service-connected disability payments and health care benefits, the Department of Veterans Affairs (the “VA”) administers a program that pays tax-free cash benefits to older, wartime vets and their surviving spouses who need assistance because of the natural disabilities associated with aging. This program is called VA Aid & Attendance. Here is a concise summary of the benefit program.

The Aid & Attendance Benefit

The A&A program pays the following maximum, tax-free defined benefit on a monthly basis and can help offset rising care costs.

Veteran/Veteran: $3,649 per month or $43,791 per year

Veteran/Spouse: $2,727 per month or $32,729 per year

Veteran alone: $2,300 per month or $27,609 per year

Spouse alone: $1,478 per month or $17,743 per year

+Dependents $235 per month or $2,831 per year

Net Worth: $155,356

The benefit can be used to pay for home care, assisted living care, nursing home care, or other personal expenses of the Veteran or surviving spouse.

Eligibility Requirements

There are three eligibility requirements for the program.

Service Eligibility – For the Veteran, this means 90 days on active duty (2 years after 1980), one day during “wartime,” and no dishonorable discharge. For the surviving spouse, this means that the deceased Veteran spouse was service eligible and the surviving spouse was married to the Veteran for at least one year before the Veteran’s death.
Medical Eligibility – The Veteran or surviving spouse must be 65 years of age and need help to be safe, with confirmation by a letter from a physician.
Financial Eligibility – The program is intended to benefit Veterans and their surviving spouses who are spending all or most of their regular income on long-term care needs. In addition, there are “net worth” rules. Working with the Legacy Elder Law Center, our clients can shelter unlimited family wealth by initiating trust planning at least three years before an application for benefits is filed. In 2021, even without preplanning, an applicant can be eligible with a “net worth” of up to $130,773 PLUS a home and vehicles.

No Charge to Process Applications

The Legacy Elder Law Center never charges a fee to prepare, file, and prosecute a VA Aid & Attendance application for a qualified Veteran or surviving spouse.

“They help good people through difficult times…”

Online Reviews

Legacy Elder Law Center4.6

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26/04/15

I’m not going to get into details here. I’ll just leave you with one thing. Would I ever go back and use this firm for other family matters? No, I would not. I didn’t have the confidence in them. That said, trust your gut.

Jordan B

26/04/13

GO ELSEWHERE

Response from the owner:We’re sorry to see this review. At this time, we’re unable to locate a recent client or interaction under the name provided.

It’s possible there may be some confusion, as there is similarly named firm in the area. That said, we take all feedback seriously and are always happy to address any concerns. If you intended to reach our office or had an experience with us, please feel free to contact us directly so we can assist you.

Dave Norden

26/04/09

Easy to set up an appointment and very helpful.

Response from the owner:Thanks Dave for leaving us a review, happy to help!

Robert Schoen

26/03/28

The staff I spoke with and emailed were helpful and professional.

Response from the owner:Thank you Robert for taking the time to leave us a review, we are pleased that you found the staff here at the firm helpful and professional.

Sharon

26/03/27

I phoned Legacy Elder Law Centre from Canada regarding probate of an estate in Virginia. Spoke to the receptionist with a brief description of the services I needed to deal with. She was very nice and very helpful. She knew exactly who I needed to speak to regarding this matter and informed me she would give my message to Emily, who would call me back shortly.
Emily did in fact call me back shortly and listened to my questions and concerns and answered all my questions. By the end of the phone conversation I felt very comfortable with Emily and that she was the right person to help me. She listens...and she answers. She is very knowledgeable and she is amazing. It will be stress free and comfortable working with her.

Response from the owner:Sharon, thank you so much for your thoughtful review—and for reaching out to us all the way from Canada. We know how challenging it can be to navigate a Virginia probate matter from out of the country, and I’m really glad our team was able to make that first step a little easier.

I’ll be sure to share your kind words with Emily. She truly has a gift for listening and guiding clients through what can feel like an overwhelming process, and your feedback means a lot.

We appreciate the opportunity to assist you and look forward to working with you every step of the way.

Rebecca Hoskins

26/03/27

Very professional and courtesy. Instilled confidence in me

Response from the owner:Thank you, we a pleased that we were able to instill confidence!

Jason Sapp

26/03/23

Steve Bingham was a huge help in assisting my family with selling my mother’s house after her passing. I am out of state and the house needed some work. We used his guidance to sell the house quickly and for more money than expected.

Response from the owner:Jason, thank you—I really appreciate you taking the time to write this.

I know handling everything from out of state, especially with a home that needed a lot of work, isn’t easy. I’m glad I could help guide you through it and get the property sold quickly with a better-than-expected result.

It was a privilege to work with you and your family during a difficult time. If you ever need anything in the future, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Steve B.

John C.

26/03/19

My mother passed and ger affairs were in order. However, my siblings and I have little experience with probate and estates.

The staff at the Legacy Elder Law Center were excellent. Responsive, immediate appointment, superb job breaking down the process, which turned out to be easy for us. The main thing was it took time.

Special thanks to Rachael Watkins who stayed on top of things, explained everything thoroughly, and gently but persistently nudged the executor, ME, to get everything done. Thanks so much Legacy Elder Law Center!

Response from the owner:John,
We’re glad our team was able to make the probate process clear and manageable during a difficult time. It’s great to hear that Rachael provided the right balance of guidance and follow-up to help keep everything on track.

We truly appreciate your kind words and your trust in us.

TZ1000

26/03/12

Excellent interview and experience.

Response from the owner:Thank you!

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Legacy Elder Law Center’s ability to listen to you, map out a financial strategy and follow through with expert planning and advocacy is invaluable in securing your family’s financial future no matter what event comes along down the road.

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