For Texas veterans and their families, the need for in-home care is often urgent. When help with daily activities like bathing, dressing, or cooking becomes a necessity, you can’t wait a year for a solution.
This creates a serious problem, known as the “care gap.”
Many veterans are eligible for a “little-known” VA benefit called the Aid and Attendance (A&A) Pension, which is designed to pay for in-home care services. But here’s the catch: applying for this benefit is complex, and the VA’s processing time can be agonizingly long, often a year or more.
What are you supposed to do while you wait?
This is the exact problem the VetAssist Program was created to solve. If you are a wartime veteran or surviving spouse, this program is the key to getting the care you need immediately, with no out-of-pocket costs.
What is the VetAssist Program?
The VetAssist Program, offered in North Texas by Helping Restore Ability (HRA), is an exclusive service that helps veterans and their surviving spouses apply for and access the VA Aid and Attendance benefit.
But its most powerful feature is its ability to address the “care gap.”
Here’s the simple breakdown:
- The Problem: You need help at home today, but the VA may take a year to approve your A&A application and send you money.
- The VetAssist Solution: The program provides a 0% interest-free loan so you can start receiving care in your home almost immediately.
You pay nothing out-of-pocket for this care. The loan covers the cost. When the VA finally approves your application (months later) and sends the retroactive, lump-sum payment , that payment is used to repay the loan.
It’s a “bridge” that gets you from the day you need help to the day your VA benefits kick in, ensuring you are never without care.
More Than a Loan: A Fully Managed Service
The VetAssist Program isn’t just a loan; it’s a complete support system. When you partner with HRA, our experts handle the entire intimidating VA process for you.
Our unique VetAssist services include:
- Expert Consultation: We help you determine if you qualify for the VA Aid & Attendance Pension Benefit.
- Document Retrieval: We assist you in identifying and obtaining all the difficult-to-find documents needed for the VA application.
- Application & Submission: We help you complete and submit the complex application directly to the VA.
- Immediate In-Home Care: We provide a highly-trained, screened HRA attendant to your home right away, using the interest-free loan to cover the cost.
- Application Monitoring: We monitor your application’s progress and assist with any VA requests for additional information until your pension is approved.
If you were to apply on your own, you would face a long wait and a mountain of paperwork. With the VetAssist Program, you get expert navigators and immediate care.
What In-Home Care Services Are Covered?
The goal of the Aid and Attendance benefit is to help veterans and spouses remain safely in their own homes. HRA’s attendants provide essential assistance with “Activities of Daily Living” (ADLs), including:
- Help with bathing and dressing
- Medication reminders
- Meal preparation
- Transferring to and from bed
- Light housekeeping and laundry
- Running errands and transportation
- Companionship and respite care for family caregivers
How Do I Know If I Qualify?
While our team can confirm your eligibility, the basic VA requirements for the A&A benefit (known as the “4 M’s”) are :
- Military: You must be a wartime veteran (or surviving spouse) with a minimum of 90 days active duty (with one day during wartime) and an honorable discharge.
- Medical: You must have a medical need for assistance with activities of daily living, as confirmed by a doctor.
- Money: You must meet certain financial limits on your net worth and income (though ongoing medical expenses, like home care, can be deducted from your income).
- Marriage: A surviving spouse must have been married to the veteran at the time of his/her death and meet other VA requirements.
Don’t Wait for the Care You’ve Earned
You served our country. You’ve earned this benefit. You should not have to wait a year to receive it, especially when you need help now.
The VetAssist Program at HRA is your solution. It eliminates the wait, it costs you nothing out-of-pocket, and it gets a professional caregiver to your door when you need them.
Click here to check your eligibility for the VetAssist Program today and get the in-home care you need.