Question:
My mother and father were married when he died...she and my father had separate households when he died... But they stayed with each other for extended periods when they got along well enough...my father was diagnosed with PTSD... He was a Vietnam Vet with 23 years of service. They were married for a total of 46 years. Right now she is applying for VA benefits and it seems they are telling her that she will not get them because they did not live together all the time...at times they lived to together for months and then separate for days, weeks, and, at times, months ...then they would get back together. This went on for years. Can you give me some advice on this? I am sure that with my father having PTSD was the cause of the fights and arguments that they would have, and why my mother and father would pack up and leave at times ...thanks for your help..
Jim's Reply:
VA generally doesn't care if a married couple live together or not when considering benefit applications. If the marriage was intact, no divorce or formal separation, VA will not deliberate over who lived where and when. I don't understand when you say, "it seems they are telling her that she will not get them", because that isn't very clear. When we file for a benefit we are either approved or denied. If you mean that she has applied for a survivors benefit like DIC and she has been denied for any reason, then she is eligible to speak with a veterans law attorney at no out of pocket cost to determine what her options are. Click here.