Cathy Cress

Expert in Aging Life and Geriatric Care Management

Honor the War Dead on Memorial Day-While Geriatric Care Managers Can Help the Living Get Va Benefits

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Memorial Day is not simply a time to have a Monday off and fire up the barbie. It also a day to remember veterans who died in all American wars . If you are a geriatric care manager or aging professional, you actually memorialize those 600,000 men and women vets who died in battle by helping the older  living veterans who survived in the last 5 wars ( WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan.)

They all need the VA benefits they deserve but and all too many never get them.Geriatric care managers can be a huge help to older veterans to get VA benefits. With nearly 10 million veterans in the U.S. who over the age of 65, older vets are usually good candidates for geriatric care management services both now and in the future.

Unfortunately, navigating the services, supports, and benefits available to older veterans can be a  titanic challenge for geriatric care managers and clients alike. Services and supports for this population are available at the federal, state and local level addition to the service navigation complexity. The configuration of services received by veterans and their families is likely to consist of federal services provided by the Veterans Administration in addition to more localized services for older adults in general like those provided by senior centers, area agencies on aging, etc.

 Benefits available to veterans and their families range from federal VA home improvement grants, burial benefits, medical care, respite, housing programs, pension, and even local benefits like business loans and discount programs.

 Like most clients served by geriatric care managers, this population will need personalized assistance in meeting their care needs. For this reason, it is important to note that services and supports designed for older adults, in general, are also key resources for veterans.

While the VA is a great resource, don’t overlook the value and expertise offered by local organizations like local healthcare centers, senior centers, and Area Agencies on Aging, among others.

Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition, includes a new chapter that will help you help vets  Maximizing the Health and Wells-Being of Older Veterans by Dr. Lenard Kaye, director of the Center for Aging at the University of Maine and Glenn Osbourne, director of the National Veterans Legal Aid Group. As an aging life or geriatric care manager, or senior advocate, learn how to to get elder veteran’s the benefits they so deserve.

 

 

 

 

Honor the War Dead on Memorial Day-While Geriatric Care Managers Can Help the Living Get Va Benefits

Memorial Day is not simply a time to have a Monday off and fire up the barbie. It also a day to remember veterans who died in  all American wars . If you are a geriatric or aging life care manager, you actually memorialize those 600,000 men and women vets who died in battle by helping the older  living veterans who survived in the last 5 wars ( WW II, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, Iraq, Afghanistan.)

They all need the VA benefits they deserve but and all too many never get them .Geriatric care managers can be a huge help to older veterans to get VA benefits. With nearly 10 million veterans in the U.S. who over the age of 65, older vets are usually good candidates for geriatric care management services both now and into the future.

Unfortunately, navigating the services, supports, and benefits available to older veterans can be a  titanic challenge for geriatric care managers and clients alike. Services and supports for this population are available at the federal, state and local level addition to the service navigation complexity. The configuration of services received by veterans and their families is likely to consist of federal services provided by the Veterans Administration in addition to more localized services for older adults in general like those provided by senior centers, area agencies on aging, etc.

 Benefits available to veterans and their families range from federal VA home improvement grants, burial benefits, medical care, respite, housing programs, pension, and even local benefits like business loans and discount programs.

 Like most clients served by geriatric care managers, this population will need personalized assistance in meeting their care needs. For this reason, it is important to note that services and supports designed for older adults in general are also key resources for veterans.

While the VA is a great resource, don’t overlook the value and expertise offered by local organizations like local healthcare centers, senior centers, and Area Agencies on Aging, among others.

Handbook of Geriatric Care Management 4th edition  , includes a new chapter that will  help you help vets  Maximizing the Health and Wells-Being of Older Veterans by Dr. Lenard Kaye, director of the Center for Aging at the University of Maine and  Glenn Osbourne, director of the National Veterans Legal Aide Group. As an aging life or geriatric care manager, or senior advocate , learn how to to get elder veteran’s the benefits they so deserve.

 

 

VA Service Offices–Help With Claims- Great to Not So Hot

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Veterans Service Offices: The single largest category of VA help, by far, is county veteran’s service officers (“CVSOs.”) Nearly every county in the nation has at least one local veteran’s service office. These offices are not owned or operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

They are local county government offices staffed by county-paid employees who hold VA accreditation through organizations such as the American Legion, VFW, Vietnam Veterans, or that particular state’s department of veteran’s affairs. More benefit claims originate through local CVSOs than any other source. Unfortunately, these offices often suffer from a number of fairly glaring deficits when assisting veterans. The main one is lack of consistency. The level of knowledge concerning benefits varies tremendously from individual to individual and office to office.

Again, simply because an individual is VA-accredited does not mean they are knowledgeable or particularly effective as advisors or advocates. In many cases, the written test for accreditation is a twenty-five question, open book test with a passing grade of nineteen correct answers.

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