If you are a veteran or widow of a veteran on limited income or with significant medical expenses, you may be eligible for a monthly pension from the United States Department of Veterans Affair (VA).

In either case, the veteran must have served on active duty and under other than dishonorable conditions for at least 90 consecutive days with at least one of those days being during a period of war.

For VA purposes, the wartime periods are as follows:

WWI - April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918

WWII - December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946

Korea - June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955

Vietnam - August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975

Gulf War - August 2, 1990 to (a date to be determined)

In the case of veteran’s pension, the veteran must be determined by the VA to be permanently and totally disabled. This is determined by the veteran’s degree of disability and employability or the veteran must simply be 65 years of age or older. There are no age or disability requirements, however, when the surviving spouse is the applicant.

Once the above criteria are met, income, assets and unreimbursed family medical expenses are then considered in determining your adjusted income. You should also understand that the paid funeral bill is also considered a countable expense in determining adjusted income of a surviving spouse.

In most cases it takes just a few minutes to determine a veteran or spouse’s eligibility for pension. Don’t rule yourself out. Visit your local Veterans Service Officer to see if you qualify. The Service Office is located on the main floor of the courthouse in Lake Andes. Stop in or give us a call at 605-487-7691 or 605-481-1338 (cell). Office hours are Monday and Tuesday, 8:00 to 4:30 and Wednesday from 8:00 to 12:00.