Veterans Day & Benefits

Sorry about being AWOL the last few weeks; we were traveling throughout Europe with my son, Jess, who lives in Bavaria, Germany, and works at what was formerly a NAZI prisoner of war camp during WWII. He’s a veteran of the war in Afghanistan and works with NATO forces all across Europe.

So that explains why I was away from the column and gives me a segue to talk about Veterans Day which is almost upon us. Here’s a brief history of the day from Wikipedia:

Veterans Day was originally known as Armistice Day.  It’s observed annually on November 11th because major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the Armistice with Germany went into effect. At the urging of major U.S. veteran organizations, Armistice Day was renamed Veterans Day in 1954. 

In 1945, World War II veteran, Raymond Weeks, from Birmingham, Alabama, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. Weeks led a delegation to Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, who supported the idea of a National Veterans Day. Weeks led the first national celebration in 1947 in Alabama and annually until his death in 1985. President Reagan honored Weeks at the White House with the Presidential Citizenship Medal in 1982 as the driving force for the national holiday.

Veterans rightly hold a very special place in our country and in our hearts because of the commitment and sacrifices they make on our behalf to defend our nation and to keep us safe. So it is fitting that we reserve some special benefits for our veterans in addition to honoring them one day of the year.

I’d like to use the rest of the column to remind you of some significant veteran’s benefits for home care if, and when they’re needed, not only for the veteran, but also for the spouse. That’s the good news.  

The great news is that Visiting Angels of Central GA is an approved Veteran’s provider and you can request our services when you see your VA doctor or speak to your VA case manager! There are three separate home care benefits available. The first two are based on having a need for assistance with your activities of daily living and have nothing to do with your financial situation. These benefits are called HHA (Home Health Aide) and Respite Care (relief for the family caregiver). The third benefit that Veterans and surviving spouses can apply for is considered a pension. That benefit does take into consideration the Veteran’s financial assets. I’d say that’s worth a real Veteran’s Day celebration!

So, if you or your spouse is a veteran and in need of home care, I’d recommend that you start by calling Visiting Angels or go online at visitingangels.com/centralga/home, or, if you’re in the Tifton area: visitingangels.com/tifton/home. They will get you on the road to the home care you  need.  Also, we will be attending The City of Warner Robins Veterans Day breakfast and Tribute on Monday November 11th!  We look forward to serving our Veterans as they have served us so well! 

To learn more about these programs on your own, and the correct forms to fill out you can go online to the VA.gov website

Here’s hoping you have a wonderful Veteran’s Day… and thanks for your service!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors… see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at  https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA