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"The nation which forgets its defenders will be itself forgotten."
– Calvin Coolidge, 30 th President of the United States
According to the U.S. Census Bureau and Veterans Administration:
- There are approximately 1.1 million Veterans in Ohio .
- 64.9% of Ohio Veterans are age 55 years or above.
- 6.1% of Ohio Veterans live below the poverty level.
Certain special monthly pension benefits may provide many veterans with additional financial support. The “Aid and Attendance” and “Housebound” monthly pensions have been around for many years but few veterans know about them. These benefits are in addition to a veteran's pension . A Veteran could be eligible for up to $1,519 per month; a surviving spouse up to $976 per month, and a couple up to $1,801 per month.
Aid and Attendance
According to the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs, these benefits may be available to a Veteran, their spouse, or their surviving spouse, if:
- The Veteran or spouse “requires the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices or protecting himself/herself from the hazards of his/her daily environment,” OR
- The Veteran or spouse “is bedridden, in that his/her disability or disabilities requires that he/she remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment,” OR
- The Veteran or spouse “is a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity,” OR
- The Veteran or spouse “is blind, or so nearly blind as to have corrected visual acuity of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.”
Housebound
According to the United States Department of Veteran's Affairs a veteran, their spouse, or their surviving spouse, may be eligible for this benefit if:
- The Veteran, their spouse, or widow “has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND, due to such disability, he/she is permanently and substantially confined to his/her immediate premises,” OR
- The Veteran, their spouse or widow “has a single permanent disability evaluated as 100-percent disabling AND, another disability or disabilities, evaluated as 60-percent or more disabling.”
A Veteran, their spouse, or widow cannot receive both “Aid and Attendance” and “Housebound” benefits at the same time.
How to Apply
A Veteran, their spouse, or widow may apply for “Aid and Attendance” or “Housebound” benefits by writing to the VA regional office having jurisdiction of the claim. In Ohio , the address is:
The Cleveland Regional VA Office
A.J. Celebrezze Federal Building
1240 East 9 th Street
Cleveland , OH 44199
800-827-1000
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
www.vba.va.gov/ro/cleveland/
Claimants applying for “Aid and Attendance” or “Housebound” benefits should include copies of any evidence of disabilities preferably a “report from an attending physician validating the need for Aid and Attendance or Housebound type care.”
Miscellaneous Benefits
Other federal, state, and local benefits are available to eligible Veterans. Every Ohio county has a Veterans Service Office that can help veterans and their families obtain benefits. Find your county Veterans Service Office by visiting the Governor's Office of Veterans Affairs at: http://veteransaffairs.ohio.gov or call 614-644-0898.
For more information, please visit www.ohiotreasurer.gov or call us at 1-800-228-1102. |
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