VA Benefits Planning
Veterans and surviving spouses leave billions in earned benefits on the table. We help you claim what's yours.
VA benefits planning helps wartime veterans and their surviving spouses qualify for needs-based VA pension programs — particularly Aid & Attendance and Housebound benefits — to fund long-term care. It coordinates VA eligibility with Medicaid planning so the two systems work together rather than against each other.
Recognize yourself in any of these?
Dad served in Korea or Vietnam and never used a VA benefit.
Most wartime veterans don't know they qualify for Aid & Attendance once care needs begin. The benefit can add $1,500–$2,800 per month toward home care, assisted living, or skilled nursing.
Mom is a widow of a veteran.
Surviving spouses of wartime veterans can qualify in their own right. This is one of the most under-claimed benefits in the entire VA system.
Someone told you the VA pension would disqualify you from Medicaid.
It used to be more complicated. With proper planning, most families can layer VA benefits and eventual Medicaid eligibility together rather than choose between them.
The work, named honestly.
- —VA Aid & Attendance and Housebound benefits applications
- —VA pension eligibility analysis with the three-year lookback
- —Coordination with future Medicaid planning
- —Appeals of denied claims
- —Service connection claims that affect estate planning
An approach, not a transaction.
VA work requires accreditation. Robert Murray is VA-accredited — a designation that authorizes him to represent claimants in front of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
About the Guidance ProgramFrequently asked questions about va benefits.
What is Aid & Attendance?+
Aid & Attendance is an enhanced VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need assistance with activities of daily living, are housebound, live in an assisted-living facility, or are bedridden. It is paid in addition to the basic VA pension and can meaningfully offset care costs.
Who qualifies as a wartime veteran?+
Veterans who served at least 90 days of active duty, with at least one day during a defined wartime period (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, post-9/11), and who received a discharge other than dishonorable. Combat service is not required — only service during the period.
What is the three-year lookback?+
Since 2018, the VA reviews three years of financial transfers when determining pension eligibility. Transfers within the lookback can trigger a penalty period. This is shorter than Medicaid's five-year lookback but still requires careful planning.
Can I get VA benefits and Medicaid at the same time?+
Yes, with planning. The two programs have different eligibility rules and serve different purposes. Most of the families we work with use VA benefits to fund care for several years before transitioning to Medicaid. The handoff is one of the trickier parts of long-term care planning, and getting it right protects significant assets.
Let's figure out the next step together.
A 15-minute call is free. There's no obligation, and there's no sales pitch.
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