Filled VA papers for Aid and Assistance, came back denied. Brother 55 tends to her every need, food prep, medications, cleaning, washing, any travel. Basically everything except putting food from plate to mouth. VA refused any financial assistance over the pittance of $237 normally received for Dad's service to country. Mother 92, blind, heavily medicated, housebound but mobile, brother attends her needs.
They were wonderful and quick for us.
Please get in touch with the VA and find out what the issue is. And please come back and tell us what the result was. We learn from each other!
It was then sent electronically to the American Legion, which handled everything from there.
I found this for you:
http://floridavets.org/benefits-services/ (Florida Dept. of Veterans Affairs)
Same, Claims: http://floridavets.org/benefits-services/. Note this:
"The Florida Department of Veterans’ Affairs has Claim Examiners co-located with the VA Regional Office in Bay Pine, each VA Medical Center and many VA Outpatient Clinics. Assistance with claims is free and covers all state and federal veterans’ programs. For more information, call (727) 319- 7440"
Co-located probably means the Florida employees are located in one of the VA facilities, as the VFW and American Legion are in the Ann Arbor, MI VA facility to which we go.
Another state option is:
"Information on current federal, state and local veterans’ programs, entitlements and referral services is available in Florida through a network of County Veteran Service Offices. All services are provided free of charge. Click here to find a County Veteran Service Office in your area."
These are the kinds of offices you want to contact to get help. Stay away from any others that want to charge you a fee.
If you want to check out other hits, just google "Zellwood, FL veterans assistance department".
Good luck; I hope it works out for you this time around.
Who filed the application for you, i.e., who prepared and complete it? Sometimes it can be just an omission of necessary data that prompted a denial.
Just wondering though why is your mother so heavily medicated?
Have you applied for Medicaid on her behalf?
One issue might be that the B-52 was selected in 1946, after WWII was concluded. If the information in some of the forms you filled out had erroneous data on your father's service, that might be one reason the application was rejected. The VA would wonder how anyone could fly a B-52 in WWII when it wasn't even in production until years later. So that major error could be one of the reasons why they rejected the application.
And cut the "White female pure American" nonsense as well. Most of us aren't "pure Americans" and indigenous to America unless we're Native Americans or their predecessors. And the VA has no reason to discriminate against white females.
Take a more rational approach and find out why the application was rejected and what you need to do to correct it. Not all applications are accepted on the first try anyway.
Thanks again.
This time around I've met with nothing but support, help, pleasantries, assistance, and return phone calls. Cooperation, assistance and help ARE in the skill sets of VA workers. I rank them higher than some hospitals for support and assistance.
So I challenge the criticisms you've made of the VA. If you approach them with a chip on the shoulder, of course they're going to be resentful of a bad attitude; anyone would. Take a different approach and respect them, recognize that they're managing in an environment over which they have no funding control, but still trying to help the veterans.
As to someone coming to a veteran and/or spouse's home, where do you think the VA would find the time and funds for this? Their funding isn't limitless.
I can only repeat what I've written before when you were first criticizing the VA: look at the attitude you're presenting to them. Treat them with respect. Instead of finding fault, find praise. Try to understand the need for the documentation and find ways to cooperate, not criticize.
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