Medicare And Veterans Administration Benefits Can Work Together
You can have both VA Benefits and Medicare. However, you will need to choose which benefits you use when you receive health care services or get health care items.
To use VA benefits, youll have to see a VA doctor or get care at a VA medical center or other VA location. The VA will also cover care if its been pre-authorized for services in a non-VA hospital or other care location.
If you go to a non-VA or also VA authorized care facility, Medicare may pay for the services you may need, or if the VA has only pre-authorized some services at the non-VA location, then Medicare may provide coverage for other services the VA doesnt cover. What Medicare does and doesnt cover will depend on the plan you have, what kind of health care facility you receive services at, and which benefits you designate to use if you can use both.
What Is The Eligibility Criteria For The Income Replacement Benefit
A Veteran may qualify if they are a Canadian Armed Forces Veteran who has a barrier to re-establishment because of service-related physical or mental health problem, and they are taking part in VAC rehabilitation services.
A Veteran who is participating in VAC rehabilitation program will be evaluated to see if their permanent physical or mental health problem associated with their Income Replacement Benefit results in a permanent Diminished Earning Capacity . If it turns out that the Veteran does have a DEC, then the IRB will be extended for the Veteran’s lifetime or until the Veteran no longer has a DEC.
For those who have a have a permanent physical or mental health problem that results in a diminished earning capacity, the Income Replacement Benefit will be increased by 1% every year until the Veteran reaches what would have been 20 years of service or age 60. The benefit is also available to qualified survivors and dependent children after the death of the Veteran.
Are There Additional Amounts For Veteran Dependants Such A Spouse Or Dependent Child In The Case Of The Death Of A Veteran
If a Veteran dies of a service-related death before age 65, the survivor and orphan would receive the same Income Replacement Benefit amount as the Veteran until the Veteran would have been 65 and then 70% of the benefit to which the Veteran would have been entitled to after age 65 for life.
If a Veteran dies of a non-service related death before age 65, the survivor and orphan would receive a lump-sum payment equal to 24 times the amount the Veteran received in the month he died with no offsets.
If the Veteran dies of a non-service-related death after age 65, the survivor and orphan would receive the Income Replacement benefit at the same rate as survivors and orphans of Veterans who die of a service related death.
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Combined Rating System For Veterans With Multiple Disabilities
Veterans with multiple disabilities use the combined rating system.
To use the combined rating system, arrange the disabilities in order by severity and locate the intersect of the two numbers on the table below.
The VA rounds the final figure to the nearest to 10 percent.
If the Veteran has more than two disabilities, find the combined value for the first two, without rounding, and repeat with the third disability. Once you have a final number, round to the nearest 10%.
For example, if disability 1’s rating is 40% and disability 2’s is 20%, the combined rating is 52%. That figure gets rounded to the nearest 10%, making the disability rating 50%.
For a three-disability example, if disability 1’s rating is 60%, disability 2’s rating is 30%, and disability 3’s rating is 20%, we first find the rating of 1 and 2. The rating of 1 and 2 comes out to be 72. We then take the first combined rating and find the intersect with disability 3. The final number comes out at an even 80% rating.
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How The Va Calculates Your Benefit
The VA determines your annual income and then deducts all of your unreimbursed medical expenses to determine your countable income, and then pays you the difference between your countable income and the Maximum Annual Pension Rate. It can be helpful to review the VA webpage that explains this pension benefit calculation process in detail and provides examples.
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What Is The Va 10 Year Rule
The VA 10 year rule means the VA cannot eliminate a rating thats been in place for 10 years or more.
However, the rating can be reduced if medical evidence shows that the disability has improved.
There is always an exception to this rule if the VA determines that the original disability rating was based on fraud.
The Veterans’ Ombudsman Has Made A Number Of Observations And Recommendations To Address Systemic Issues Between Vac And Dnd That Are Creating Extra And Unnecessary Red Tape What Are The Government’s Plans To Address And Correct Those Issues And What Is Your Expected Timeline
The Veterans’ Ombudsman has made a number of recommendations to improve the lives of Veterans and their families. In a recent report, the Ombudsman noted that out of the 57 recommendations that were developed in collaboration with Veterans’ advocates and organizations, 37 have been fully or partially implemented, and that six of the items in the Minister of Veterans Affairs’ Mandate Letter are based on his recommendations.
In Budget 2017 the Government committed to develop an action plan that will see VAC and DND addressing the overlap and gaps that currently exist for Canadian Armed Forces members released from the military. The plan will also simplify benefits so that the process is easier to navigate, gets Veterans their services quicker and helps them transition to life after service.
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How Was The Supplementary Retirement Benefit Calculated
The Supplementary Retirement Benefit was equal to 2% of the sum total of all the Earnings Loss benefits payable to an eligible Veteran or survivor before any applicable income offsets.
As of 1 April 2019, the Supplementary Retirement Benefit was consolidated into the new Income Replacement Benefit. In light of this change, VAC will be making a one-time lump-sum payment equal to the Supplementary Retirement Benefit amount that a person would have been entitled to as of March 31, 2019.
What Is The Proposed Pension For Life
Pension for Life is a combination of benefits that provide recognition, income support and better overall stability to Canadian Armed Forces members and Veterans who are living with a disability due to a service-related injury and/or illness.
The Pension for Life benefits package includes: The Pain and Suffering Compensation, the Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation, and the Income Replacement Benefit.
Pain and Suffering Compensation Recognizing service-related pain and suffering
This monthly, lifelong, tax-free payment recognizes pain and suffering experienced by Veterans and CAF members with a disability due to a service-related illness and/or injury. The choice between monthly and lump sum options give Veterans and members the flexibility to decide what works best for them and their families.
Additional Pain and Suffering Compensation Delivering further recognition for those with severe and permanent impairment
This monthly, tax-free payment is for Veterans experiencing barriers to re-establishing themselves after service because of their severe and permanent illness and/or injury.
Income Replacement Benefit Delivering income support when Veterans need it
The monthly, benefit is designed to provide income support to Veterans who are experiencing barriers to re-establishment primarily resulting from service. The benefit is available to Veterans, survivors and orphans, for life, should they need it.
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Va Benefits For Elderly Veterans
Two VA programs provide certain elderly Veterans with an additional monetary amount if you are eligible for or receiving a VA Pension benefit.
Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly pension amount paid if you meet one of the conditions below:
- You require help performing daily functions, which may include bathing, eating or dressing.
- You are bedridden.
- You are a patient in a nursing home.
- Your eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
Housebound is an increased monthly pension amount paid if you are substantially confined to your immediate premises because of a permanent disability.
Learn more about these benefits on the Aid & Attendance Housebound benefits page.
Do I Qualify For Both Va Benefits And Social Security Disability Benefits
Social Security rules are complicated and change often. For the most recent Ask Larry columns, check out maximizemysocialsecurity.com/ask-larry.
Boston University economist Larry Kotlikoff has spent every week, for over two years, answering questions about what is likely your largest financial asset your Social Security benefits. His Social Security original 34 secrets, his additional secrets, his Social Security mistakes and his Social Security gotchas have prompted so many of you to write in that we feature Ask Larry every Monday. Find a complete list of his columns here. And keep sending us your Social Security questions.
Kotlikoffs state-of-the-art retirement software is available here, for free, in its basic version. His new book, Get Whats Yours the Secrets to Maxing Out Your Social Security Benefits, was published in February by Simon & Schuster.
Watch Larry explain how Paul and his wife could collect an extra $50,000 in Social Security benefits:
Larry Kotlikoff: Ive asked our Social Security Technical Adviser, Jerry Lutz, to weigh in.
Jerry Lutz: First, sincere thanks for your service.
Please read my article in which Social Security whistleblower, John McAdams, explains that Social Security has whatever the reason deprived widows of the ability to collect larger checks in future years by having them file for their own retirement benefit at too young an age.
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When Is Full Retirement Age For Me
Over the years, the SSA has periodically adjusted the age of full retirement. There are several designations of full retirement age according to the SSA and each is defined by your date of birth. The breakdown is as follows:
| Date of Birth | |
| 1960 or after | 67 |
For the majority of current SSD beneficiaries, the age of full retirement is 67, which means you may have at least a couple more years before you need to be concerned with how hitting retirement age will affect your benefits however, its good to understand the process in advance so there are no surprises when you do reach 67.
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If I Qualify For Va Disability Will I Automatically Qualify For Social Security Disability
No. You must qualify for each separately. Winning approval for one type of benefits does little to nothing to boost your chances of getting another.
If the VA grants you disability, it does not mean that an approval for Social Security Disability will follow, or vice versa. Remember, the VA system awards benefits for varying degrees of disability, while the SSA system makes a determination of disabled or not disabled.
If the SSA approves you for SSDI or SSI, you still must prove to the VA that your condition is service-connected, which is not an easy thing to do. Without sufficient evidence, the VA can call into question whether your medical condition arose as a result of an event in your military service or is otherwise related to your military service.
Note: If you have a Permanent and Total disability rating from the VA, you can receive expedited processing for an SSI or SSDI claim.
The Future Of Veterans Benefits
If you follow the news, you may have heard about an idea that would let veterans benefits expire at retirement. Another effort would permanently preserve them. Both ideas have been discussed in different forms many times before, but so far neither has come to pass.
In 2020, the Congressional Budget Office suggested ending TDIU payments for veterans when they turn 67, which is Social Security retirement age. The idea was included in a report of options for reducing the federal deficit, a list of 83 non-binding suggestions for decreasing federal government spending and increasing revenue.
One of the latest attempts is the Protecting Benefits for Disabled Veterans Act which was proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2021. The bill would make TDIU benefits permanent for elderly veterans who are also receiving Social Security retirement payments. It would guarantee that veterans applying for TDIU benefits would not be denied based on their age for retirement benefits. At the time this article was published, the bill was still in a House committee and had not been scheduled for a hearing.
Again, these are only proposals. They are not the first ideas that have been floated that would change VA disability benefits, and with the everlasting conversation about federal spending, they certainly wont be the last.
The Difference Between 100% & Permanent Total Disability Ratings
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Medicare For Veterans: A Comprehensive Guide
Veterans can receive both Veteran Affairs health care benefits and Medicare when they become eligible. It’s recommended for veterans to enroll in Medicare so they have more coverage options when seeking care from non-VA health care facilities.
Our fact-checking process starts with vetting all sources to ensure they are authoritative and relevant. Then we verify the facts with original reports published by those sources, or we confirm the facts with qualified experts. For full transparency, we clearly identify our sources in a list at the bottom of each page.
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Key Principles
Editorial Independence
To support the health care needs of about 19 million veterans in the United States, the government has a number of health insurance programs available, such as VA benefits, Medicare and Tricare for Life.
Veterans can benefit from both VA health care coverage and Medicare if they meet the eligibility requirements. About half of veterans who have VA benefits also have Medicare coverage, expanding their options for where and how they receive care.
This guide covers whether you should enroll in VA benefits and Medicare, how VA benefits work with Medicare, and how Tricare for Life works with Medicare.
If A Veteran Receives Irb And Dies After Age 65 What Do Survivors And Orphans Qualify For
Survivor of Veterans who die after age 65 and are in receipt of IRB at the time of their death may qualify to receive 70% of the amount of IRB received by the Veteran at the time of death. Income amounts received by the survivor from the Veteran are offset from the IRB amount.
An orphan’s eligibility for the Income Replacement Benefit are the same as that for survivors described above, until the age of 18 where they must provide proof of enrollment in a course of instruction or be physically and/or mentally incapacitated.
In cases where there is a survivor and an orphan, the amount for which the survivor qualifies is split in two equal shares, with half going to the survivor and half going to the orphan. In the absence of a survivor, the orphan gets the entire amount or, if there are more than one orphan, they divide the full amount between themselves. There are no offsets to the amount of the IRB for orphans.
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Example Va Disability Pay Calculation
Another example is if the disabled Veteran has a spouse who is determined to require Aid and Attendance. Here we add the figure shown as additional for A& A spouse to the amount shown for the proper dependency code.
For example, a disabled Veteran with a 70% rating and an Aid and Attendance spouse and two minor children would receive $1,830.71 .
How Do I Know If I Served During A Period Of War
Below is a list of war-time periods that have been established by Congress.
- World War II. December 7, 1941, through December 31, 1946.
- Korean conflict. June 27, 1950, through January 31, 1955.
- Vietnam era. The period beginning on February 28, 1961, and ending on May 7, 1975 in the case of a veteran who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period. The period beginning on August 5, 1964, and ending on May 7, 1975 in all other cases.
- Persian Gulf War. August 2, 1990, through current date.
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How Will Pfl Impact Wait Times
A project the size of Pension for Life will always require system upgrades to improve internal and external systems for the users.
While it will take time to transition to a new system, these upgrades eventually make it faster to access benefits and services
It will also make it easier for Veterans and their families. One example of how PFL will make things easier for Veterans is the simplified application process for the Income Replacement Benefit which combines multiple pre-existing benefits into one monthly payment.