PCHPCA: VA offers many benefits for elderly, ill and disabled

On Nov. 11, the nation marks Veterans Day and thanks veterans for their service. The Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association (PCHPCA) takes this opportunity to share some of the resources the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) provides to ill or disabled veterans.

“At the PCHPCA, we hear many stories of satisfied veterans receiving financial assistance, health care and other benefits from the VA,” PCHPCA Director Elaine Peck related.

Some VA benefits are identified below:

Financial support. The VA may provide tax-free money to qualified disabled veterans if they have an injury or illness that is service-connected.

For veterans who served during a foreign war and meet the income/assets guidelines, the VA Aid and Attendance Benefit provides monthly financial support to cover the cost of non-medical care of the veteran such as bathing, eating and grooming.

This monthly income may also be available to the spouses of these veterans. Caregivers of veterans may be eligible to receive payments.

Health care. Veterans may qualify to receive medications, artificial limbs, rehabilitation therapy and medical equipment at no cost to the veteran. Spouses and children may be eligible for health benefits.

Hospice and palliative care. The VA hospice benefit does not require a six-month prognosis and does not require patients to end curative treatment to be enrolled in care. The VA will cover both comfort and curative care concurrently and provides these services both within its own facilities, and also in the veterans’ home through collaborations with private community-based hospice and palliative care providers.

Other benefits. The VA offers qualified veterans benefits for education, work, housing, retirement, burial and more. Some survivors may qualify for the same benefits.

For information about whether a veteran or their loved ones are qualified to receive these and other VA benefits, persons can visit the Indiana Department of Veterans Affairs website at https://www.in.gov/dva/locate-your-cvso/.

Veterans should also contact their local county veteran service officer (CVSO). Be prepared to be asked to provide information such as vital and military records as well as health, financial and insurance information.

“Post-discharge, many veterans re-engage with civilian employment, obtain benefits from their employers and forget about the many resources that are available through the VA,” Peck related. “We encourage all veterans to become informed.”

Putnam County’s CVSO is David Heavin. He is located in the Putnam County Courthouse, Room 15, in Greencastle. Office hours are from 8 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursdays from 8 a.m.– 3:30 p.m.

The office can be contacted at 653-5417, by email at pcvet@airhop.com or by fax at 765-655-2431.

The Putnam County Hospice and Palliative Care Association seeks to enhance the quality of life for the terminally ill, their loved ones and caregivers by educating the community about the benefits of hospice, palliative care and advance care planning.

The PCHPCA is a nonprofit public charity that operates with the help of donations, financial support from the Putnam County Community Foundation and fiscal sponsorship by Putnam County Hospital.