Most families who work on an Aid and Attendance claim assume that whoever is making the calls is allowed to make them. On paper that is often not true. The VA will discuss a veteran's claim with a person only when Dad is speaking for himself or when a valid appointment is on file for that person. When the appointment is missing, the claim rarely gets refused with a clear message. It stalls, and the stall looks like every other slow stretch in the 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.

What the authority looks like

Two forms do most of this work. VA Form 21-22 appoints a veterans service organization or an accredited representative to act for the veteran. VA Form 21-22a appoints an accredited attorney or claims agent.[1] A son or daughter, a spouse, or the person who pays the bills is not appointed just by being family. A general power of attorney signed for banking or property matters may not be enough for the VA by itself, so ask the representative which document the VA will accept before you assume your paperwork covers the claim.[2]

The checks to make before anyone calls

Work through these in order. Each one takes a few minutes and each one catches a different failure.

First, look at the representative's name and accreditation, not only the organization's name. A form that names a group but not a specific accredited person can leave the file without a clear person of record. Ask for the accreditation number and look it up in the VA's public accreditation search.[3]

Second, read the form itself. Confirm that Dad's signature is present and legible, that the blanks are filled in, and that the form names the right kind of appointment. If Dad cannot sign, do not sign his name yourself. Ask the representative what the VA will accept in that situation, and get the answer in writing.

Third, ask the representative to confirm in writing that the VA has received and accepted the form. A copy sitting in your email or in a fax log is not the same as a confirmation on the VA side.

Fourth, ask what the representative charges and when. Accredited veterans service officers help veterans with claims at no charge.[4] If someone else asks for a fee, or asks for Dad's login or ID without an appointment on file, stop and compare them against the free options listed on Local Help: St. Louis Offices.

Signs the appointment is missing

The gap usually appears in one of these ways:

A call to the VA gets the answer that the caller is not authorized to discuss the claim, even though you were sure the paperwork was handled.

A representative or filer has been working on the claim for weeks but cannot show you a signed appointment, or the VA file does not list them.

A letter or update that should have reached the representative goes only to Dad, and nobody on the working side hears about it.

The helper or agency is handling the calls and mail but has no written appointment, so each new request starts from zero.

What to do when you find the gap

Stop making calls on Dad's behalf until the authority is settled. Complete the correct form, have Dad sign it or have the signing done in the way the VA accepts, and send it through the channel the representative names. Get the confirmation in writing, then put a copy of the signed form, the confirmation, and the accreditation details in the same folder as the rest of the claim. Keep a short log of who you spoke with, when they answered, and what they said.

A hired helper can remind Dad of appointments and pick up mail as an errand, but the decision about who speaks for Dad to the VA belongs to Dad, the family, and the representative. For a plain-language overview of how this site checks each claim step, see Start Here: The Order to Read, and for the list of official references behind these notes, see Sources.

[1] VA.gov, pages on appointing a representative and on VA Forms 21-22 and 21-22a. See the Sources page on this site for the full list.
[2] VA.gov, pages on who may discuss a veteran's claim with the VA and which authorization documents the VA accepts.
[3] VA.gov, the public search for accredited representatives, attorneys, and claims agents.
[4] VA.gov, pages on free help from accredited veterans service organizations.