Some veterans do not have one address. Dad spends winters at his daughter's house across the state and the rest of the year in his own home, with a neighbor and a paid aide covering the days he is there. A claim that describes only one of those places will not match the care that actually happens, and that mismatch is what stalls a file.

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.

Start with the address on the form

The pension application asks for the veteran's current address and for the people who live with him.1 Put down the address where he is living on the day the form is completed. If he moves between two homes on a schedule, say so in writing with the months, so the reader does not have to guess which address is the real one. Do not list two addresses as if both were permanent.

Count the help by house

Aid and Attendance pays when a veteran needs regular help with daily activities, and the medical statement is what describes that need.2 A split-year veteran may need the same help in both places, or more in one. Make two columns, one for each house. Under each, list what someone does for Dad, how many hours a week, and who provides it: a family member without pay, a paid aide, or a neighbor. The medical statement and your written summary have to agree with those columns.3

Report the change when the pattern changes

If the split ends, for example because he moves to one home full time, the file needs to be updated. VA expects changes to address and household to be reported, and waiting for a yearly check-in is not a substitute.4 Keep a simple monthly log of where he slept, and keep one statement from each address, such as a utility bill or a card statement, so the record can be checked.

What to settle before anyone signs

Ask the person completing the forms three questions. Which address goes on the pension application? Does the second home change who counts as a household member? How will the medical statement describe the help he gets in each place? Ask the clinic the third question before the visit, not after. If the answers do not match, fix the wording before the file goes in. A claim that contradicts itself on its first page rarely survives the second.

Not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. For how this desk sources its claims, see Sources.

Notes

  1. VA Form 21P-527EZ, Application for Veterans Pension: https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21p-527ez/
  2. Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits: https://www.va.gov/pension/aid-attendance-housebound/
  3. VA Form 21-2680, Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance: https://www.va.gov/find-forms/about-form-21-2680/
  4. Pension eligibility: https://www.va.gov/pension/eligibility/