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The Veterans Coalition Senior Veterans Initiative (‘SVI’) is the senior veterans educational and outreach program of Veterans of the Vietnam, War and The Veterans Coalition. Veterans of the Vietnam War and The Veterans Coalition is a United States Department of Veterans Affairs accredited Veterans Service Organization. We assist veterans of any service period.
Please see http://www.va.gov/ogc/recognizedvsos.asp for a complete list of accredited Veterans Service Organizations.
SVI is a non-profit service charity chartered in the State of Tennessee and holds 501(c)(3) status from the Internal Revenue Service. Any contribution made to SVI is tax-deductable on your federal income tax.
We seek to insure that all of America’s estimated 19 million senior veterans and their dependents know about certain Department of Veterans Affairs programs that could substantially reduce the cost of long-term, care.
The assistance and services offered by SVI to America’s elderly veterans and their families are not directly regulated or governed under federal law. Our Mission of education, training of advocates, and offering a source of timely and accurate information about VA programs and benefits successfully enables a veteran to develop a VA claim that is accurate, complete and meets the burden of evidence required in individual circumstances.
Once a veteran determines an intent to file a VA claim (38 CFR 14.267(g)), SVI forwards the information to an accredited Veterans of the Vietnam War and The Veterans Coalition Veterans Service Officer who prepares, presents, and prosecutes the claim before the Department of Veterans Affairs. There is absolutely no charge for any service related to preparing, presenting, or prosecuting a VA claim (38 USC, Chapter 59.01.)
Additionally, SVI offers advice and insight into VA financial requirements for certain disability programs, as well as, expert advice regarding long-term care planning. However, SVI does not provide any legal or financial services to resolve and matters which may be discovered, regarding it as a conflict of interest.
SVI seeks to cover its actual cost for our assistance and services by receipt of fees and donations from the public.
Disability and Long Term Care: The Least Understood of All VA Programs
In 1958 as a result of the Bradley Commission Report on the status of post -World War II veteran’s benefits, Congress enacted The Veterans Benefits Act of 1958, the first complete codification of benefits for veterans in over 150 years.
Today Public Law 85-56, 71 Stat.83,167 is codified as Title 38 of The United States Code “Veterans Benefits.” The regulations implementing 38 USC are found in Title 38 of The Code of Federal Regulations.
Title 38 USC in Part II, Chapters 11 and 15 provided for the creation of two categories of Disability Programs for veterans. Chapter 11 created The Service Connected Disability Compensation Program and Chapter 15 created the Non-Service Connected Disability Pension Program.
The Compensation Program provides compensatory financial relief for veterans who incurred disabling injuries or disease as a direct result of active-duty military service or a pre-existing medical condition aggravated by active duty service.
The Pension Program provides similar relief for war-time veterans whose disability is not in any way related to active duty service but who are rated as totally disabled.
Both of these programs have provisions for surviving eligible dependents. The Pension program is income based while the Compensation program is not.
There are also two important benefits associated with both programs. For Pension purposes, Housebound and Aid & Attendance eligibility simply allows unreimbursed eligible medical expenses to be deducted from a claimant’s income. Long-term care benefits such as Assisted Living costs are normally examples of such deductions.
The major benefit to most senior veterans from these Programs is receiving funds from the VA to help pay for the high costs of assisted, skilled nursing, and homebound care. Most people have no idea that an eligible veteran can often receive reimbursement for up to 60% of the unreimbursed costs of long-term care. A Surviving Spouse can often receive up to a 35% reimbursement.
The purpose of our website is to acquaint you with the various VA Disability Programs, how they work, and how SVI can prepare you and your family to receive these valuable and important entitlements.
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