Veterans Benefits

There are two buckets of money available for veterans needing in-home care. The first is controlled at the local district level and requires the veteran complete an "Application for Care". A variety of programs are available through this process, as further described in the section that follows. The second is a new program which grants a veteran's pension to any needy veteran who is disabled, whether or not that disability is the result of a service related event. That program, and the financial qualifications, is also outlined below.

The Application for Care

Any veteran should start the application process to determine what care they may be eligible to receive. It is especially important to start the process early since there is a lengthy initial processing period (up to 6 months) and then further delays to get into specific programs. It is important to note that there is no requirement to give up any existing relationships with primary care doctors to determine eligibility for veterans' benefits. Misconsceptions over this have resulted in many veterans delaying getting started until it is to late.

The veteran must complete Form 10-10EZ otherwise known as the Application for Care. This form can be obtained from your local town veteran coordinator (if there is one); VA hospitals or by calling 877-222-VETS. You can obtain assistance in completing this form from your Town Veterans Coordinator or local veteran service groups such as the American Legion. Form 10-10EZ is 4 pages long and is generally understandable. An "optional" section asks for financial information, however, if this section is not completed you can expect lengthy delays in processing.

Until this Form is processed, a Primary Care Physician cannot be assigned to the veteran. Without a Primary Care Physician, no further assignments or benefits can be made to the veteran. It is therefore critical that regular contact be maintained and names recorded with anyone involved in processing the application. In our informal discussions with employees at the Veterans Administration this need for contact was repeatedly stressed. You can expect a 2-6 month wait before a Primary Care Physician will be assigned.

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