MISSION OF THE VA
“To serve America’s veterans and their families as their principal advocate in ensuring that they receive the care, support, and recognition they have earned in service to this nation”.
A cynic would say this is comparable to when anyone from the government says “Hi, I’m here from the government and I’m here to help”. The VA’s mission sounds good but in practice, most veterans need a true advocate to help them get what they deserve.
In 2000, there were 9,722,988 service men and women OVER the age of 65 living in the United States.* Of those, 5,185,518 served during WWII and 3,250,316 served during the Korean War.**
With passage of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, and a constant assault on Medicaid benefits for the elderly, it is necessary to learn as much as possible about VA benefits that are available to the older client and their family. Many veterans have no idea that they can get additional income to pay for:
-
Home health
-
Assisted Living Facilities (possibly Independent Living Facilities)
-
Nursing Home care
The VA is not spreading the word about this benefit. Therefore, our office feels it is necessary to spread the word about this benefit by educating the community. If you would like for us to speak to your group, see the Speaking page of this website or call us and we will set up a time to come speak.
THIS IS NOT A NEW BENEFIT
There have been laws designed to create veterans benefits since the 1700's. The First US Congress passed a law in 1789 to provide pensions to disabled veterans and their dependents. In 1930, the Veterans Administration, also known as the VA, was established to “consolidate and coordinate government activities
affecting war veterans”. The VA experienced enormous growth after WWII with the return of 16 million veterans. In 1953, the Department of Veterans Benefits (DVB) was created to administer the VA’s huge compensation and pension program. The Veterans Administration became the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) on March 15, 1989.
Anthony Principi, Secretary of VA, News Release, February 3, 2003: “America’s veterans deserve the best health care and compensation system we can provide”.
We agree that veterans truly do deserve the best care we can provide and we are here to help ensure that happens. We know that many Arkansas veterans are in need of the VA Benefits that are available, but do now have much information about those benefits. Our desire is to help the Arkansas Veterans who are qualified for and in need of the Non-Service Connected Aid and Attendance veterans benefit, but may not understand the qualifications or the process involved in receiving these benefits. We have certified VA specialists with extensive experience dealing with laws concerning veterans benefits in Arkansas, and they are prepared to help you or your loved one begin the process of getting the VA benefits that you have earned.
To see the General Qualifications for Non-Service Connected Aid and Attendance, click Here
For frequently asked questions about Veterans Benefits, click Here
*www1.va.gov/vetdata/docs/agesexdata.pdf
** www1.va.gov/vetdata/docs/pos.pdf