Sen. Kelly Proposes Legislation to Help Disabled Veterans

HARTFORD, Conn. – State Senator Kevin Kelly (R-Stratford) testified Tuesday, March 6 in support of legislation that would require that in addition to the VA Aid and Attendance Income, an actual VA Pension that a Veteran receives would be disregarded when determining income eligibility for certain state Medicaid assistance programs

“This bill will help protect our vulnerable, senior population and ultimately helps seniors age in place,” said Sen. Kelly, Co-Chair of the Aging Committee. “Our veterans have done a lot to secure our freedoms and way of life. The least our society can do for these veterans, who did everything within their power for us, is to help them in their time of need. This bill is common-sense legislation that would allow our seniors to age in place at home, independently, with dignity. At the end of the day aging in place at home is less expensive than a nursing home and a better quality of life for our seniors.”
Senate Bill 288, An Act Expanding Certain Veterans’ Access to Public Assistance Programs, will help veterans get the assistance they need. Currently the Veterans Aid and Attendance income is exempted when the state of Connecticut determines eligibility for certain assistance – like the Connecticut Home Care Program. What is not exempted is the basic VA pension and when veterans apply for state assistance they are required to apply for federal assistance – which often puts them over the income eligibility threshold for our state assistance programs. In the long-run disregarding all non-service related pension income will save our state money by allowing seniors to age in place instead of being placed in a nursing home – which is substantially more expensive.

Senator Kelly testified in front of the Committee on Veterans’ Affairs at the Legislative Office Building on Tuesday, March 6.