When you turn 65, your VA disability benefits do not automatically change or stop. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation is not affected by age, so you will continue to receive your monthly disability payments as long as you remain eligible.
VA Disability After 65?
According to the census brief, the disabled veterans of age 65 or elderly, who served for their country and nation and got the service-connected disability are eligible for elderly benefits. The veteran retires at the age of 65 and even after retirement, he is still eligible to get the veteran affair disability payments.
However, the amount a veteran receives is less than the amount he gets while he is working and earning from wages and salary before retirement. Once the veterans reach their retirement age, their VA disability payments and social security benefits may be greater than the income of others having no service-connected disability issues.
However, there are a few considerations to keep in mind:
- Concurrent Receipt: If you are also receiving military retirement pay, you may be subject to the VA’s “concurrent receipt” rules. These rules govern the simultaneous receipt of both VA disability compensation and military retirement pay. Depending on your specific circumstances, your military retirement pay may be offset by the amount of your VA disability compensation.
- Eligibility Reviews: The VA conducts periodic evaluations to assess the severity of your service-connected disabilities. These evaluations may occur at any age and aim to ensure that your disability compensation accurately reflects your current condition. If your disabilities have improved significantly, the VA may re-evaluate your eligibility or adjust your benefits accordingly.
- Additional Benefits: As you reach age 65, you may become eligible for additional benefits and programs through Medicare. Medicare is a federal health insurance program that provides coverage for medical services, hospitalization, and prescription medications. You can enroll in Medicare alongside your VA healthcare benefits to enhance your overall healthcare coverage.
What is VA unemployability over 65?
The department of veteran Affairs provides the veterans with special compensations even after their retirement because of the serious service-connected disabilities they get while being on active duty.
However, the amount of compensation given will depend on the percentage of disability of a veteran given to them by the veteran affairs department. The percentage ranges from 0 % to 100 %.
Related: Grants For Disabled Veterans
There are certain conditions where the veteran affairs department can give the compensation of 100 % disability to the veterans even they don’t have such severe service-connected disability.
Are VA disability benefits means-tested?
The disability compensation provided to veterans is not mean-tested. Disabled veterans who work for the department are eligible for the benefits till they work. Most of the benefits who receive the benefit at working age are in fact employed.
The payments are provided to the disability benefits on annual basis and they get the benefits until their death even after retirement.
According to the inflation rate increase after 2014, VA disability compensation provided to veterans was about $ 54 billion in 2013. The compensation is also provided in the form of benefits other than financial assistance. Veteran affairs department provide their assistance to the veteran in the form of the following:
- Housing assistance
- Education assistance
- Training on a vocational basis
- Other assistance such as vehicle renovation, house modification, health-care, etc.
- Employment opportunities
- Rehabilitation services
- Burial and death benefits
Benefits for Elderly Veterans:
VA provides many benefits and compensation to the elderly veterans or the veterans who have reached the age of 65. There are two specific programs designed specifically for the disabled veteran that provides benefits to the veterans after their retirement.
Aid and Assistance program for Elderly veterans:
Aid and assistance program provides the veterans of age 65 or above with the special amount of pension. However, the veterans have to meet the following requirements to enjoy these benefits:
- The veteran requires assistance to complete his daily routine work such as assistance in bathing, cleaning an\d eating etc.
- The veteran is bedridden by the medical staff
- The disabled veterans is a patient in the nursing home
- The eyesight of one eye or both eyes is very weak and is limited to a corrected 5 / 200 acuity. Or the veteran has concentric contraction or the retina or the visual field to 5 degrees or more than that.
House-bound Program:
The house-bound program also provides benefits nd assistance to disabled veterans of elderly age. These benefits are provided to those veterans who are house-bound. Being housebound means that they have to stay within the premises of their house for a lifetime due to their service-connected disabilities. The benefits are provided in the form of monthly or annual payments that the veterans can use to complete their requirements.
What is VA health-care provided to veterans of age 65?
Health care is provided to elderly veterans known as geriatrics. The program known as assistance care is made for disabled veterans who need health-care on daily basis by the assistance and help of any other individual.
These veterans are unable to work or move with their own help. Elderly veterans can receive the benefits of assistance care or long term care by the veteran affairs department at their home, community, or the hospital.
How to get VA benefits for elderly?
The disabled veterans, servicemember, or family members can apply for the aid assistance or long-term care program provided by the veteran affairs department. These can easily get the benefits by using the following method:
- The veterans can apply online on the official website of the veteran affair department
- The veteran can also work with the representative or agent who is accredited
- If the above methods can not be used, then the veteran can go and visit the veteran affairs office and the employee will assist them. The veteran can find the regional office as well through the website.
How often does the VA reduce compensation?
The veteran affairs department regulates the compensation on basically two occasions. Firstly, when the veterans leave the service and after six months. Secondly, the occasion between two and five years when the veteran affairs department decides to provide the grant of VA disability benefits.
The check is done on two occasions to check and verify that the veteran still has the disability and whether or not he has gone through any improvements regarding the disability. The veteran affairs department also requires re-evaluation in order to check whether the veteran’s disability has improved due to any environmental or physical changes. If the veteran department finds a change in disability, then they can also change the disability rating given to them.
Under certain conditions, the veteran’s affairs department can also reduce the compensation amount given to them on a monthly or annual basis. However, the proposed rating may be based on the medical history of the disabled veteran’s medical conditions.
(The VA website has more information about VA disability ratings.)
VA pension for elderly veterans:
The veteran affair department provides the pension for the survivors of disabled veterans who may have died during the war or due to their service-connected disability. The pension is provided only to the dependents such as the spouse of the veteran or their children but there are certain requirements that must be met to enjoy these Veterans benefits by the veteran affairs department.
The veteran must be on active duty when he dies or he must have served for the country for the last 24 months of his job. The retirement benefits are provided to the veterans and if they reach to the age of 65, then they are compensated by the VA department by giving them monthly pension and health-care benefits.