One of the challenges in life as people age is when help is needed to do the most basic things of bathing, dressing, eating, and housekeeping. For veterans of the U.S. military, coming to the realization that they need help doing the most basic activities of daily living can be quite difficult. 

If you are a veteran who served at least one day during wartime, received a military pension, and are having difficulty with activities of daily living, you are eligible for home care services and benefits that you may not be fully aware of, even if you did not serve in a combat zone. 

Home Care Is Not Home Health Care

Home care and home health care are not the same things. Home care is basically assistance in helping you do activities that you have difficulty doing, such as bathing, dressing, meal preparation, eating, cleaning, and doing laundry and other household chores. These things are called activities of daily living, or ADL for short. Home care aides are also companions and can drive you to appointments or shopping, if necessary. 

Home health care involves more of a medical aspect of caregiving, such as taking care of wounds, providing pain management and handling medication, training with mobility aids, and giving IV therapy. If you aren't sure what you need, you can use this self-assessment tool from the Veteran's Administration website. Print it, fill it out, and take it with you to your next VA health care appointment. 

Apply for Benefits

After you've talked with your doctor and determined which type of care is best for you, you'll need to figure out which benefit you qualify for: Aid and Assistance or Housebound Status. Both increase your pension, but you can only have one. There are financial requirements and limitations, as well as clinical requirements, but if you meet the qualifications of a veteran who served during wartime and draw a pension or disability compensation, you should qualify. The VA will determine which benefit is most suited for you, so you'll need to fill out VA Form 21-2680.

Send it to your state's VA pension management center or apply in person at the regional office. Alternatively, you can have a home care service that has contracted with the Veteran's Administration assist you in filling out the paperwork instead. To find these providers, look for ones that specifically say they provide veteran home care services.