Posted on Thu, Dec. 22, 2005
2 million veterans, widows miss out on VA pensions
By Chris Adams Knight Ridder Newspapers
Source:
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/nation/13468573.htm
RENO, Nev. - Nearly 2 million poor veterans or their impoverished widows are
likely missing out on as much as $22 billion a year in pensions from the U.S.
government, but the Department of Veterans Affairs has had only limited success
in finding them.
Widows are hardest hit. According to a VA estimate, only one in seven of the
survivors of the nation's deceased soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who
likely could qualify for the pension actually get the monthly checks.
What's more, participation in the program is falling, according to a Knight
Ridder analysis of VA records.
The reason for the lax participation, a VA study said, is that poor veterans
generally "are completely unaware that the program exists."
"Veterans simply don't know about it," said Despina Hatton, who runs a senior
law program for residents of Washoe County, Nev., that seeks to help veterans or
their widows receive the benefit.
They're people such as Rose Davidson, a 72-year-old widow of a World War II
sailor who lives in Sparks, Nev., on $9,732 a year in Social Security benefits.
Frail, legally blind, suffering from dementia and in need of regular assistance
at home, she could be eligible for $1,608 more a year under the VA's formulas.
That would boost her income by about 17 percent.
But her daughter said that neither she nor her mother had ever heard of the VA
pension until recently. She's working to apply.
"I didn't have a clue," said Linda Doty, Davidson's daughter. "And at one time,
when her thoughts were all together, my mom was pretty good at learning all the
options that might be open to her. When you make so little, $100 a month is a
lot of money. Now, she just lives day to day."
The VA knows that many veterans and widows are missing out on the benefit.
"We obviously are here for any veteran or survivor who qualifies," said Tom
Pamperin, a VA pension official. "But so many of these people - we don't know
who they are, where they are."
Indeed, a VA report from late 2004 recommended that the agency "improve its
outreach efforts" with public service announcements and other pilot programs.
While it made limited efforts to reach veterans or their widows through existing
channels, it is "difficult to determine" whether such efforts have been
successful, Pamperin said.
The numbers don't suggest they have been. In fiscal 2005, there were fewer
veterans and widows added to the pension rolls than there were in 2004,
according to the Knight Ridder analysis of VA data.
World War II and Korean War veterans are dying and rapidly falling off the
rolls. At the same time, the department said it's been "reasonably successful"
in signing up new Vietnam veterans.
Nonetheless, one VA estimate of the program shows the potential pool of poor
veterans and widows without the pensions has remained unchanged the last four
years. The total number of pension cases fell to 541,000 in fiscal 2005, the
sixth straight year of declines.
The VA actuary's office predicts that pension participation is likely to drop
further, losing between 7,000 and 8,000 enrollees a year and falling below
500,000 participants by 2012, according to a VA actuary report obtained by
Knight Ridder.
At the same time, the separate 2004 report estimated, based on census and other
data, that an additional 853,000 veterans and 1.1 million survivors - generally
widows - could get the pension but don't. Of all those likely eligible, only 27
percent of veterans and 14 percent of widows receive the money.
The VA-commissioned analysis of the program concluded that "the rate of
participation in the VA pension program is so low that the program cannot meet
its legislative intent."
Given how much such under-served vets and widows typically receive, the VA would
be on the hook for another $22 billion a year if everybody who deserved a
pension got a pension. Given that the VA expects to spend only $3.4 billion of
its annual budget of about $70 billion on pension benefits next year, that kind
of outlay would break the bank.
"The number is what the number is," Pamperin said of the $22 billion figure. He
said that participation in other federal poverty-related programs is also low.
Pensions aren't the only thing that veterans are failing to tap.
Last year, Knight Ridder reported an estimated 572,000 veterans might be missing
out on VA disability-compensation payments, which range from $112 to $2,393 a
month. The estimate was based on an analysis of VA survey data obtained under
the Freedom of Information Act. It resulted in legislation that's passed the
Senate and awaits action in the House of Representatives that would require the
VA to boost outreach efforts for its compensation program.
The VA's pension program is targeted at veterans who served their country during
wartime but have fallen into poverty. It's also there for the widows of veterans
who have fallen on hard times.
The program provides a monthly check to bring incomes up to a certain level. A
veteran can make up to $10,579 a year and qualify for the VA pension, while
veterans' widows can make up to $7,094 a year. Vets or widows who are homebound
or in need of extra assistance can receive more.
In Reno, the reason why so many veterans are missing out on the program seems
obvious to Hatton, who runs the senior law program.
VA literature lists the program among the dozens it provides. But the program's
name confuses many veterans: It's called a "disability pension," but a person
doesn't have to be disabled to receive it. Further, a "Summary of VA Benefits"
on the department's Web site doesn't spell out a central criterion of the
program: that veterans can qualify based on their age. (The age requirement is
listed in other parts of the VA Web site, and the VA said this week that it will
correct the error.)
Basically, a poor veteran who's 65 or older and served during a war, in combat
or not, is eligible for the program.
Hatton's team, however, discovered that a majority of the poor elderly veterans
in Reno had never heard of the program. Working with researchers from the
Sanford Center for Aging at the University of Nevada, Reno, Hatton set out to
measure how many veterans were missing out and to help them sign up.
Starting in the sweltering heat of August 2004 and using a county
meals-on-wheels list, researchers fanned out across the city, asking senior
citizens about their involvement with the VA.
Most were living at or under the poverty level, in subsidized housing, small
trailers or dilapidated houses. They lived alone, TV sets tuned to daytime talk
shows, and were generally puzzled why researchers from the local university were
asking about VA pensions.
One elderly World War II vet, Merril Robinson, invited the researchers into his
small apartment, where he was getting around in a motorized wheelchair as he
made breakfast. A collection of family photos was on top of his television,
which was showing "The View."
Researcher Teresa Sacks asked Robinson if he wanted to read the consent form.
"You can probably read it to me, because I can't see," he said.
Then, after explaining that she came with no guarantees of additional benefits,
Sacks lead Robinson though the interview, asking when he joined the military
("It's been so long, I can't remember," the World War II vet said) and his
familiarity with VA benefits. He was "somewhat" familiar with VA benefits and
did rely on the VA health system.
But the totally disabled veteran, who lived in subsidized housing and had a
nurse come to help with some of his activities, wasn't familiar with the pension
program.
As she walked out of the house, Sacks said, "He's almost a slam-dunk" - meaning
that he certainly should qualify for some benefits. (It took several months to
get the application through the VA, but Robinson is now eligible for a pension
benefit of $58 a month, or $696 a year.)
The project proceeded, door to door. One elderly veteran came to the door naked,
inviting Sacks in (he did put on some sweatpants). Another veteran, tipping back
a Bud at 10 a.m. - "I drink beer, so I'm doin' alright," he said - insisted that
he knew nothing about the pension program. But when Sacks looked through his
stack of mail she found he already was receiving a monthly pension check.
So far, the researchers have helped 11 veterans or widows get their benefits, in
amounts ranging from $144 a year to $5,748 a year.
For Gordon Croft, being awarded the largest benefit means his income will jump
from $6,816 a year to $12,564. Croft, a veteran of the Korean War who suffers
from arthritis, emphysema, osteoporosis and other conditions, had no idea that
he could qualify for a VA pension.
And while he does get medical care through the VA, the pension side of the VA
didn't know about him. "That's something I always find kind of peculiar," said
Heather Traverso, one of the researchers. "Why don't the two sides of the agency
communicate?"
Croft lives in a tiny apartment with a small old television and his bed in the
living room. He found out late last month that he qualified for the pension.
"I won't go hog wild," he said this week. "The money is in the bank."
---
How to get help:
Veterans and their widows or other dependents might be eligible for the
Department of Veterans Affairs pension if they meet certain requirements.
They include: Veterans must have served during a time of war, even if not in
combat, and they must be either permanently disabled or 65 or older. In
addition, their incomes must fall under a certain level. Widows of veterans can
also apply, although their incomes must be even lower.
If you are a veteran and think you may qualify for the benefit, go to the
VA's Web site:
www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Milsvc/Docs/Pensoneg.doc
If you are a widow of a veteran, go here:
www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/Milsvc/Docs/Dpeneg.doc
The VA also has a toll-free number for more information: 1-800-827-1000.