My mother has now been living at Garden Manor for six months, and here is where we stand: On the Aid & Attendance front, I reapplied in late February–four months ago–and have not yet received a decision. I had originally sent the application to the Providence, RI, office of the VA, but received an acknowledgement… Continue reading Six months / June 23, 2007
I received a letter from the VA today, informing me that my mother had been denied the Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC), as I suspected she would be. I should explain that the application I submitted actually served two purposes: one, to apply for DIC, which is awarded based on service-related medical conditions; and, two,… Continue reading Aid & Attendance, part 4 / December 9, 2006
I’ve been doing a little research and here are a few facts: According to the MetLife Mature Market Institute: The 2006 average daily rate for a private room in a nursing home is $206 ($75,190 annually), a $3 or 1.5% increase over the 2005 rate of $203. In 2004 the rate was $192 daily. (from the… Continue reading Voices in the wilderness, part 2 / November 26, 2006
I’m doing better since my last post, which is interesting to me, since nothing external has changed. Except, maybe, my hormones–which I know are internal but I think fueled my anxiety last weekend. So the medical researchers out there who are looking for a way to use that extra NIH grant money might consider studying… Continue reading Voices in the wilderness, part 1 / November 26
My first Aid & Attendance post received the following comment, which is definitely worth repeating here: Hey Deb, I read your post about trying to get VA benefits, and thought you mightlike to know about www.GovBenefits.gov. It’s the official benefits Website of the US Government and provides information on more than 1,000programs including scholarships. The site also… Continue reading Aid & Attendance, part 2 / August 11, 2006
I am beginning the process of applying for a Veterans’ Administration benefit called, informally, Aid & Attendance. I hadn’t heard of it until a co-worker of mine told me about it. At that point I found a website that will “talk” me through the process of applying. I understand that you can hire individuals or organizations to… Continue reading Aid & Attendance, part 1 / July 26, 2006
I’ve been trying to describe to myself what causes me stress these days. If I can identify the factors, maybe I can manage some of them? [she wondered hopefully]. I don’t know when I began to think of stress as something like smog–diffuse and unavoidable. I guess it is, but nevertheless, it originates somewhere–either in… Continue reading Stress, part 1 / July 17, 2006
