Ask Mike - Need assistance for a WWII vet

Dear Married to a Vet

Thanks for getting in touch. You wrote that your husband is a WWII veteran. He is 92 and is on a "100% disability pension". You want to know if you can get assistance in the home for him, if needed, in the near future, because he has many significant health conditions that seem likely to deteriorate.

Since he is a veteran, you should definitely contact the Veterans Administration (VA). The source of his 100% disability pension is unclear, but if it is a VA benefit, then you should already have a connection, but just in case, the main VA website address is www.va.gov. Additionally, the address of the West Virginia VA's main office is: www.wvs.state.wv.us/va/ I searched both web sites and the only reference to long term care was VA nursing homes and Veterans Homes. I couldn’t find a direct reference to in-home services, but the national office website has a "Contact US" button you could try as well as their mailing address at the bottom of their homepage and the West Virginia website has their mailing address and their email address at the bottom of their homepage.

West Virginia Medicaid is the agency that pays for, or provides, most of the formal, publicly funded in-home assistance in the State. Generally, in order to qualify for home and community-based services and supports from Medicaid, an individual must be significantly disabled to the level of being eligible for a nursing facility and an individual must be poor. These criteria vary from state to state as each state sets its own rules and these rules can be quite complex. To find out if your husband is eligible for assistance from Medicaid and to apply for services, you will need to contact West Virginia Medicaid. Our website can help with this.

On the PAS Center website go to Agencies Related to PAS and select West Virginia. On the next page click on "Medicaid Agency" and use the contact information provided to ask about eligibility criteria for Medicaid and for the "Aged and Disabled Waivers" and how to apply. You might also contact the "State Unit on Aging" found just beneath "Medicaid Agency" and ask if it has any assistance available. "Waivers" are a name for programs that provide in-home services and supports. They are funded and administered via a state and federal government partnership and each state has very different programs and program rules. West Virginia also has a couple of small state funded only programs called the "West Virginia Family Support Program" and the "Community Care Program" about which you may want to make inquiries.

I hope you are able to find the assistance you need.

Mike