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Can National Guard And Reserve Members Qualify For VA Aid & Attendance Benefits?

In this Elder Law Minute, Wes Coulson discusses VA Aid & Attendance benefits, and if National Guard and Reservists can qualify.

Transcript:

Today I want to talk about a question relative to VA Aid & Attendance eligibility that we come across every once in a while, and that is whether a reservist or someone who served in the National Guard can qualify for the VA Aid & Attendance benefits. The quick answer is it’s a possibility, but we need to look just beyond that reserve or National Guard service.

The VA’s requirement relative to the active duty service requirement is that the veteran has to of served at least 90 consecutive days on active duty, at least one of those being during a period of war. The VA has the dates on their website, www.va.gov, if you want to know if it was during war time. The basic training that a reservist or somebody in the National Guard would go through doesn’t constitute active duty, but if somebody is called up after that either immediately or down the road, that indeed can enable them to qualify.

The easiest way to check is to look at your military discharge papers, most commonly what’s called a from DD 214, and that shows your beginning and end dates of active duty. If you compare those to the VA’s wartime period and see that it was at least 90 days, that’s going to tell you whether you meet that requirement.

  • Also looking for information about Medicaid and Asset Preservation? Visit these articles:
    • Do Living Trusts Protect Assets From Medicaid or VA Spend Down?
    • How an Asset Preservation Trust Protects Your Life Savings From Long-Term Care Costs
    • Why Do I Need an Asset Preservation Plan?

“Your Trusted Advisor on the Elder Care Journey”

Dent-Coulson Elder Law is dedicated to providing families in the St. Louis area with their Elder Law needs. Our practice areas include Asset Preservation Planning, Veterans Benefits, Medicaid Eligibility, Alzheimer’s Planning, Special Needs Planning, Estate Planning and more. We understand the financial challenges you may face as you and your loved ones grow older. At Dent-Coulson Elder Law, our clients’ well-being is our number one priority. For immediate help, call (618) 632-7000 (IL) or (314) 567-9292 (MO), or Contact Us and we will get in touch as soon as possible.

Veterans Benefits O'Fallon ILFor Immediate Help

If you or a loved one needs immediate help with a planning matter or legal issue, please contact us, and we will get back to you promptly.

774 Sunset Blvd Suite 200
O'Fallon, IL 62269
IL: (618) 632-7000
MO: (314) 567-9292

1901 South Fourth Street,
Suite 211, Effingham, IL 62401
(217) 330-5500

Fax: (618) 632-7333

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