Two kinds of people will offer to file Dad's Aid and Attendance claim: a service officer who charges nothing, and a paid accredited helper who expects to be paid from the claim. Both can touch the paperwork. The useful question is not which one is better. It is which tasks each will actually carry, and which tasks stay in your hands no matter who you choose.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
What a free filer will carry
Veterans service organizations such as the VFW, the American Legion, and the DAV employ accredited service officers who help veterans and their families prepare and submit VA claims at no charge.1 Ask whether the officer is accredited with VA, and whether they will file the pension claim with the Aid and Attendance request, not just point you toward the forms. Then ask what happens after submission: whether they follow up when VA asks for more records, and whether they stay on if the decision is denied and appealed. Many free officers do the initial filing well and hand later stages to someone else. Get that boundary stated plainly, and write down the officer's name and what they agreed to.
What a paid helper may charge, and when
Attorneys and accredited claims agents can be paid for VA claim work, but VA rules limit when a fee may be charged and how it must be calculated.2 Do not assume any fee is owed at signup. Read the agreement for three things: the event that triggers the fee, any cap on the amount, and the filing step the fee depends on. Be careful with any fee tied to a percentage or to ongoing monthly payments, and check it against VA's rules before you sign. A helper who asks for money before the claim has produced a decision is a reason to stop and read the rules again.
Split the work before you choose
Write the tasks in one list and mark who does each. Most families find the same tasks waiting in the same places.
Service papers. Dad's discharge document, usually a DD Form 214, has to be obtained. A filer can request it for you, or you can request it yourself. Decide who owns that request and who tracks the wait.
Medical statement. VA Form 21-2680 is the exam form that asks a doctor about Dad's need for regular aid and attendance.3 The doctor's office completes and signs it. A filer can explain what the form asks, but the form is not theirs to fill in.
Income and asset records. Gather bank statements, pension or Social Security award letters, and records of any transfers or sales of property. Whoever builds the file needs complete copies, not summaries.
Medical expense receipts. Collect the bills and proof of payment for costs that may lower countable income. Keep originals and make copies before anyone else handles them.
Application and signatures. The pension application is VA Form 21P-527EZ.4 Dad signs it, or someone with legal authority to sign for him does. If a representative will act for Dad, that appointment is made on VA Form 21-22 for a veterans service organization or VA Form 21-22a for an attorney or agent. Confirm the signature line before the packet leaves the house.
Mail and phone on file. Decide whose address and phone number VA will use. Letters that go to an old address are the most common reason a file stalls quietly.
Follow-up calendar. Assign one person to check the claim status and to watch for any VA request for more information, with a deadline written on the calendar.
What stays with you
No filer, free or paid, should be the only person who knows where the file is. Keep the signature authority, the mailing address, and the bank account where payments land under your own control. Keep a complete copy of everything sent, with a note of when and how it went. Keep a short record of every phone call, including the name of the person you spoke with and what they said you must do next.
Questions to ask before you pick
For a free filer: Are you accredited with VA? Will you file the complete pension claim, or only part of it? Who follows up if VA asks for more records? What happens if the decision is denied?
For a paid helper: What event triggers the fee? Is there a cap? Which filing step must happen before the fee applies? Who holds Dad's original papers after signing? How do I end the agreement, and what happens to the file if I do?
For St. Louis offices that help with claims, see Local Help: St. Louis Offices. For the sources behind each footnote, see Sources.
Notes
1 VA.gov, pages on accredited representatives and veterans service organizations.
2 VA.gov, pages on accreditation of attorneys and claims agents and the rules for fees.
3 VA.gov, Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits, VA Form 21-2680.
4 VA.gov, Veterans Pension application, VA Form 21P-527EZ.