Home : Everything Else : lesser known va benefits for seniors : 4 Lesser-known VA Benefits For Senior Veterans
4 lesser-known VA benefits for senior veterans

4 lesser-known VA benefits for senior veterans

The brave service of soldiers in the military deserves to be rewarded with more than just gratitude. To ensure this, the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has come up with several benefits to simplify the lives of veterans. While some seniors may know about one or two of these, several lesser-known benefits could improve their quality of life. Read on to learn about four such benefits available to senior veterans.

Long-term/extended care benefits
Many seniors do not know they can get assistance with long-term care with the VA . These privileges are extended to eligible veterans, giving them access to home health care, adult day health care (such as nursing care and physical therapy), respite care, hospice care (for those with a terminal illness), and nursing home care in federal and state nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Some of these benefits may also extend to their family members.

Eligibility for these benefits is based on one’s military service history, disability status, income level, and available resources.

Caregiver support
Many veterans sustain injuries and illnesses during their service period. As a result, they need special support from caregivers. VA recognizes the crucial role caregivers play in supporting veterans and offers training programs for them. One of these is the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), under which they are offered benefits such as monthly stipends, access to healthcare benefits, caregiver training, mental health resources, and respite care.

Free tax preparation
Managing taxes isn’t always easy, and seniors may sometimes need more help. Thankfully, several resources are available under the VA to help veterans through this process. These include:

  • Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA):  This is an IRS program that offers free tax help to those making less than $75,000, people with disabilities, and seniors. These sites also extend their services to veterans, regardless of their income.
  • Armed Forces Tax Council (AFTC):  This unit is responsible for the operation of military tax programs. They offer free tax advice, tax preparation, and assistance to members of the military and their families.
  • Veterans Business Outreach Center (VBOC):  Senior veterans running small businesses may also receive tax help from VBOCs. These centers offer free workshops, online training, and more to help develop a better understanding of the tax process.

Life insurance
As one ages, financial stability can become a concern. VA offers several life insurance programs that senior veterans can avail themselves of to ensure their peace of mind. Some of these include:

  1. Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance (SGLI), which can be converted into a Veterans Group Life Insurance (VGLI)
  2. Family Servicemember’s Group Life Insurance (FSGLI)
  3. Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance (S-DVI)
  4. Veterans’ Mortgage Life Insurance (VMLI)

Apart from these listed resources, senior veterans may also receive home refinancing, service dog veterinary benefits, and employment resources under VA programs.

Top Reads

Top Tags

Popular Reads

4 popular credit cards for college students
finance

4 popular credit cards for college students

A good credit score is essential as it can be a criterion for lucrative job prospects or renting an apartment. Moreover, a good credit score is an uncompromisable necessity while applying for a loan that has terms and conditions that favor you. To ensure that you have a good credit score, it is better to start building it young and early. One of the easiest ways to do so is by applying for a student credit card from prominent credit cards companies. Now, there are several credit cards companies that offer lucrative credit cards, making choosing the right one confusing. To help you narrow down your choices, here are some of the best credit cards companies that offer student credit cards. Bank of America® Travel Rewards Credit Card for Students: One of the biggest credit card companies in the country Bank of America offers a slew of benefits with its student credit card. With each dollar spent using this card, students can earn 1.5 points. This applies to purchases without any caps. The points can be redeemed as discounts on hotels, flights, rental cars, and vacation packages. There are no restrictions or blackout dates applicable for availing these discounts. With no foreign transaction fee or annual fee, the card allows one to earn nearly 25,000 points on spending about $1000 in the first 90 days.
Read More

What you must know about guaranteed business loans

If you’re looking for funding your small business with a loan, you’ll most likely come across the term “guaranteed business loans.” People often misunderstand this term as business loans that are guaranteed to be approved. But, this is not what guaranteed business loans means. To clarify the confusion, let’s understand what the term actually means, and discuss the most popular types of guaranteed business loans. What are guaranteed business loans? In simple terms, guaranteed business loans in the world of small business loans refer to loans that are secured or backed by a guarantee. The guarantee can be in the form of collateral, deposit, or an agreement. This essentially means that the lender is guaranteed to receive their money back even if the borrower fails to pay. When we talk about guaranteed business loans, we refer to loans with a personal guarantee or, more commonly, loans guaranteed by the small business administration (SBA). Let’s take a look at both these types. Personally guaranteed business loans As you understand from the term “personal,” when you make a personal guarantee on a business loan, you essentially agree to sell your assets to pay off the loan, if your business is unable to do so.
finance

5 mistakes to avoid when investing in a high dividend ETF

Exchange-traded funds (ETF) have been gaining popularity in the investment sector for some time now. Along with mutual funds, they have been one of the most preferred investment options among investors. With investors having pumped in billions of dollars in ETFs by now, these funds sure seem like a lucrative investment avenue. However, financial experts suggest treading this path carefully so as to avoid unforeseeable losses. Here are a few mistakes that you can avoid while investing in high dividend ETFs: Overlooking long-term investment Looking at long-term goals is the golden rule when it comes to any type of investment. However, seasoned investors invest in ETFs on a short-term basis through a type of trading called intraday trade. This type of trading allows the investors to buy and sell stocks and other investments on the same day. However, if not thought out carefully, investing in high dividend ETFs through intraday trading can result in lower returns and higher trading costs. Buying an ETF simply based on its name This is one of the most common mistakes people make when investing in high dividend ETFs. Investors may think that an ETF’s name provides an insight into its investment reach, i.e., whether the ETF has local or/and global investors.
finance

How to qualify for a reverse mortgage

A reverse mortgage provides the elderly access to equity in their homes and supplements their income. With its flexible repayment option, it gives homeowners more control over their money. However, the government has laid out strict rules and guidelines concerning reverse mortgage eligibility criteria. So, if you’re considering a reverse mortgage, read on to know the reverse mortgage eligibility criteria and the types of reverse mortgages. Reverse mortgage eligibility criteria The first criterion for a reverse mortgage is that the primary homeowner must be at least 62 years of age. If your spouse is under the age of 62, you might still be eligible if you meet other reverse mortgage eligibility criteria. If you’re not 62 or older than 62, then you won’t qualify for a reverse mortgage even if you satisfy the criteria mentioned below. You must be the primary resident of the home you’re seeking a reverse mortgage for. Note that vacation homes or rental properties do not qualify. You must either entirely own the house or have at least 50% equity in it. If you have any mortgage balance remaining while applying for a reverse mortgage, you must be in a financial position to pay off that balance.
finance

5 benefits of opting for debt settlement

Debt settlement can be a financial lifesaver for many. Managing debt is quite a difficult task. With every advancing payment due date, one may feel their finances getting tighter and tighter. Between paying for a house mortgage, student loans, credit card debt, personal loans, and many other debts, it is quite common to miss out on paying one payment. Although it may not seem like a big problem initially, this is not good for financial health in the long term. This is where debt settlement comes in. There are multiple benefits to availing debt settlement offered by some of the top 10 debt settlement companies. No more bills With debt settlement, no more bills will be incoming in the mailbox. Debt settlement results in the closure of a debt account by the creditor. In such cases, one will not be able to use their credit cards again. However, this can be beneficial since it will prevent further debt in the future. With debt settlement, there is a permanent erasure of debt. No more collection calls With mounting debt, the calls of creditors are always incessant. If one if falling behind on too many bills, they are bound to be subjected to creditor calls throughout the day.
finance