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VOL. 3/ISSUE 10
THURSDAY, JANUARY 8, 2015
Need home care while waiting for VA benefits? VetAssist can help Mary Kemper STAFF WRITER
mkemper@veteranvoiceweekly.com
There comes a time in a lot of people’s lives that they can’t do things for themselves as well as they used to, or even at all — they need help with the basics, like eating, bathing or walking. For veterans, this need exists while they’re waiting for VA benefits to be delivered to them, but many believe they can’t afford the care. But help is there, thanks to a little-known benefit. VetAssist, a program of Veterans Home Care, a national organization whose stated mission is “To assist veterans who protected our freedom to stay in their homes and live with dignity. “VetAssist Program helps veterans, or their surviving spouses, apply for a little-known Department of Veterans Affairs benefit to pay for assistance with activities of daily living,” the website reads. “Then, we provide home care while the VA reviews the claim. The VetAssist Program also furnishes continuing case management and ongoing compliance monitoring — all with no out-of-pocket costs. “An estimated two million wartime veterans or their widows are eligible for the ‘Aid and Attendance’ pension to help pay for home care. You, or someone you love, might be one of them. “We’ve successfully helped thousands of veteran families receive the ‘Aid and Attendance’ pension and continue to live in the comfort of their own homes. Let us help you.” Founder Bonnie Laiderman said she was motivated to found the program 12 years ago, when she was seeking help for her mother, the widow of Laiderman’s father, an Army veteran of the Korean War. “My mom was ill, and her income was very low,” Laiderman said. “I was living in Missouri, and I flew to Florida to care for her. “But I had another business, and I needed help.
Photo courtesy of Susan Walker Elsa Moorehead, left, one of the VetAssist program’s first clients, gets a hug from founder Bonnie Laiderman. “You can definitely say I’ve got a special place in my heart for veterans.” Bonnie Laiderman, founder, VetAssist Program I did a lot of checking around, but finally got frustrated — ‘Doesn’t anyone want to help?’ “So I did more research, and discovered there’s a pension available to give people help with home care. “I said, ‘Mom, I’ve started a new company.’” It’s been 12 years since Laiderman founded the program. “We’ve helped 1,700 clients in 12 states,” she said. “We’ve been in Inc5000 for five years (a business industry list that tracks top-performing companies).” In addition to Laiderman’s father having served, her brother was an Army veteran of the Vietnam War. “He became sick as a result of chemical agents,” she said. “He’s now one of our clients. “You can definitely say I’ve got a special
place in my heart for veterans.” The program is a “100-percent woman-owned business,” Laiderman said. “And we have a lot of clients in the Port St. Lucie area.” Along with Donna Appel, the national sales director, and Barry Appel, her husband, the regional director of Florida, Laiderman also counts her own husband, daughter and her brother’s son as part of the 93 staff and other participants in the program. “Everyone is completely dedicated,” she said. “It has been a struggle at times, but I love it.” To help people qualify for home care, Laiderman said emphasis is on what she calls the “three Ms —money, medical and
See ASSIST page 3