side. What’s more, wartime periods extend beyond the end of hostilities (for a
definition of wartime periods, visit vba
. va.gov/bln/21/pension/wartime
.htm). Widowed spouses of war veterans may also be entitled to pensions,
even if they later remarried.
Health care
Eligibility to receive health care at any
of the VA’s 1,400 hospitals and clinics
is based on an income test (except in
the case of wounded vets or those with
service-connected disabilities), though
it is not limited to veterans who served
during wartime. The current national
health-care income cap is $29,402 for
a single veteran, $35,284 for a married vet. But this figure is adjusted for
higher-cost regions, using the geographic means test (GMT) established
by the Department of Housing and
Urban Development and available at
va.gov/healtheligibility/library/pubs/
GMTincomethresholds. The GMT
can push those limits much higher;
in San Francisco, for instance, the income limit for eligibility is $63,350 for
a single veteran.
Again, all family medical expenses,
including Medicare premiums, are deducted in calculating income. Veterans
with disability ratings of 50 percent
or higher receive free care at the VA.
In today’s VA system each veteran is
assigned a specific primary care doctor
who tracks that patient’s treatment—a
big improvement over the old days,
when vets were assigned whichever
doctor was available when they came
to the clinic.
In-home care
Another surprise. Homemaking assistance and aid and attendance services, provided by private companies
contracted by the VA, are available to
all veterans who need in-home care
and who meet the income test (subject
to availability in the area where they
live). Also available: respite care to
provide a break for a spouse or family
members who are caring for an eligible veteran. The (CONTINUED ON PAGE 90)
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