Aid & Attendance Handbook for Professionals & Consultants

The most complete and comprehensive book available on the subject of VA pension and VA death pension -- the so-called aid and attendance benefit. This handbook is the ultimate resource for any professional or consultant who wants to educate and help veterans with the aid and attendance pension benefit. It is a must-have for anyone working in this area of benefits planning.

The secret to shortening the time from submission to a decision is to anticipate all of the documentation requirements that are necessary and submit them with the original application.

If the claimant is accurate in filling out the form, in providing proper discharge papers and proof of relationship, in anticipating the need for a fiduciary, and in providing the proper VA power of attorney or guardianship proof, the initial claim is well on its way to being approved more quickly.

Another important issue in submitting a well-documented claim is knowing, in advance, what evidence and documents are required for a rating decision. By providing those documents upfront and not waiting for VA to come back with a request, the claim can be passed by the triage team immediately to the rating activity for a final decision. This might cut the time for a decision from 8 to 12 months to fewer than two or three months.