Veterans: Qualifying For Benefits

The sacrifices made by our wartime Veterans and their spouses can never be truly recompensed.  The freedoms we enjoy because of our Veterans can never be assigned a value that would be a true representation of its worth.

Our Country has not been the most progressive for rewarding those selfless men and women and their families for the time away from home, for the dangerous and fearsome mission of protecting our homeland, and helping preserve our way of life against unspeakable hatred from those who would destroy everything and everyone who claims to be an American.

But the most unacceptable situation facing our Veterans today, in my mind, is the fact that their own Veterans Administration has failed them and erroneously denied pensions to tens of thousands of eligible Veterans.  That is a travesty that must be remedied as soon as possible for those nearing retirement or have retired and who could live a much more comfortable life that they deserve plus get healthcare benefits that would ease a financial burden.

You may not be aware that it is the VA’s discretion as to how to determine a Veteran’s assets that directly affect the amount of money the Veteran may collect.  Therefore, it is much more critical that the Veteran seek the advice and counsel of those qualified to ensure that the Veteran legally qualify and leave nothing to chance when the VA begins processing an application for benefits.

I recently spoke to a Veteran who volunteered for Viet Nam in the 1970’s after joining the Marines.  He is a brave man who has never wavered in his patriotic duty to his Country during time of conflict.  To see pictures of this young 19-year old man, gaunt but smiling, huddled around a fire outside a makeshift hut for him and his fellow soldiers made of piles of burlap sacks in a small clearing next to the jungle where cover could easily be found if they were suddenly attacked by the enemy was shocking and something I never get used to even though I’ve seen similar photographs or news stories about the conditions and horror our military in war experience.

Bob (not his real name) spoke with a lot of pride about his time of service but getting any details about his time spent in the jungles of Viet Nam was impossible.  He’d just get quiet and somehow, always managed to avoid discussions about those details.

Another thing I wanted to determine in my conversation with Bob was why Veterans seems so reluctant to take aggressive action to ensure that nothing has been left undone in determining the full scope of benefits for which they may be entitled from the VA.  It wasn’t easy, and it still is unanswered, but from what I could surmise, Veterans have such a strong support system in the VA for many, many areas that it’s difficult for them to believe that there is anything they have not been told about or that there may actually be errors to the extent I am putting forth to you today that could happen.

Veterans of wartime, in particular, I think need and deserve that network of those who’ve been through “it” as they have been.  Hence, the number of resources has done a good job of conveying to the Veteran if, if it’s available and if they are eligible, they can easily get it.

Unfortunately, with a little-known pension that actually has been available for many years, it’s been discovered that tens of thousands have been denied, not heard of it, been misled by the VA because of ill-trained agents answering the phones (not intentionally, of course), and other reasons that have left many Veterans and their families devastated financially through loss of rightful benefits.

Special pensions programs exist to ensure that we are honoring their sacrifice by taking care of disabled and aging Veterans, and I represent Veterans located in Southern California throughout the entire process, from application to appeal.

If you are a Veteran and even one day of your service was during War or Conflict, you have nothing to lose by calling our office to discuss your particular situation with me or one of our highly qualified case managers who can help ascertain your eligibility or what you can legally do to ensure your eligibility.

A Veteran is presumed to qualify for benefits if:

65 and older or permanently and totally disabled
Not dishonorably discharged
Active duty for 90 days
Served one day in active duty during wartime, the applicable wars being World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the First Gulf War

If you have the perception that you are not eligible, please refer to my story about Karen’s birthday:  You could be wrong about this planted belief that means you really are eligible – even if you’ve been denied.

With the effective use of estate planning tools such as wills and trusts, we can help you to preserve assets while protecting income eligibility for special pension programs.

Please contact me, your Los Angeles aid and attendance lawyer to schedule a complimentary, no-obligation initial consultation. You may also call 818-905-6088.

We look forward to assisting you and your family as soon as possible.

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