Financial Planning For Veterans

Shriver to feds: Time to cut a check

 

The ongoing saga of the Veterans Administration's dereliction of its duties to America's war vets took a new turn two weeks ago with the filing of a lawsuit seeking class action status in federal court against Veterans Administration Secretary Eric K. Shinseki and the director of the VA/Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Donna M. Veiter.

The complaint, filed by Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver, Laurence Tribe, the Southern California ACLU, four disabled homeless vets, Bandini de Baker (whose family originally owned the current 387 acre West Los Angeles VA property) and other veterans' advocates, alleges the Department of Veterans Affairs is misusing large portions of its campus and has failed to provide adequate housing and treatment for homeless veterans.

Shriver has pushed hard for additional housing at the VA for seven years. He had identified three empty buildings that could be used to house mentally disabled, chronically homeless veterans and vets with substance abuse problems.

Shriver and veterans' advocates had grown frustrated as securing funding had become a long, drawn-out process. Only one of three of the buildings was funded to the tune of $20 million last June, a minimal commitment. Nothing has happened since then and now even those unspent funds may be in jeopardy. 

Most of the blame for the VA stagnation rests with federal politicos. Last July 5, I wrote that U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who despite sitting on the Senate Appropriations Committee and being a former chair and ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Military Construction and Veterans' Affairs, had never championed funding for this project nor had U.S. Representative Henry A. Waxman (D-Santa Monica). Homeless vets just weren't a major concern for them.

Only after the suit was announced did Feinstein and Waxman issue a joint letter to Shinseki and the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Jack Lew, asking them to "promptly finalize a request to Congress for construction projects, including $20 million for homeless veterans projects (one building) on the West Los Angeles campus." Since the filing, the VA has issued a flurry of press releases reiterating its support for the regions homeless veterans.

Veterans and Long-Term Care @ Retirement Education PLUS | Medicare ...

Even if you are not eligible for health care benefits from the VA, you might be eligible for Aid and Attendance for long-term care services—in your home or a nursing home.  The income and asset guidelines and look back period are more generous than with Medical Assistance/Medicaid.  Your spouse may be eligible for these VA benefits also.  Talk to your regional Veterans Benefits Administration office for information on services in your area.   

In Minnesota, the Veterans Linkage Line ( LinkVet ) is a toll free, one stop customer service line and website for all Minnesota veterans and their families.  Calls are answered Monday through Friday from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm, Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm and Sunday from 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. Veterans can call LinkVet at 1-888-LinkVet (546-5838) and TTY at (800) 627-3529.