This Memorial Day, as we remember friends and family members who died while serving their country, we also honor veterans who survived the wars past.
According to Villages-based Combat Veterans to Careers (CVC) Founder David Booth – a retired Army veteran who was severely injured by an improvised explosive device while serving as a Medic in Iraq – veterans in their golden years often struggle with finding their way through concerns surrounding legal issues, their health and care.
Booth understands the difficulty of transitioning from one place in life to another, and has made it his life’s work to assist veterans and their families as they make the transition from military to civilian life, providing dignity, compassion, and resources for education, employment, housing and wellness.
“During their service, our servicemen and women became expert problem solvers,” said Booth. “Many completed complex missions in the most hostile of environments. Yet, as they age, many retired military men and women find themselves needing help to navigate the complexities of a system which they thought they could turn to for help with medical care, legal issues and information.”
Questions often include: “What happens if living alone is no longer an option?”, “Does a veteran give up the right to VA benefits if he or she receives Medicaid assistance or vice versa?”, “Is there any assistance available to veterans who are homebound or living with children who provide care when they can no longer care for themselves?”
Finding the right attorney who works with veterans and who understands elder law – ranging from relatively simple wills, trusts and advanced directives to navigating the entire elder-care environment – can be enormously helpful.
“We know military men and women often struggle with legal problems while they’re serving in the military, including dealing with wills, guardianships, child custody and support agreements, bankruptcy, and reemployment rights,” said Booth.
“However, veterans often face more legal uncertainties long after their service officially ends, as they begin to require care for conditions associated with the effects of their service, aging or illness.”
Attorney Wade Boyette and his colleagues at Boyette, Cummins & Nailos (BCN Law Firm) which serves The Villages’ area, have helped thousands of veterans deal with these issues.
“Often, when we sit down with a veteran, we’ll actually sit down with his or her whole family and discuss every aspect of his or her legal needs. We will ensure wills and trusts are up to date and appropriate for Florida, that other legal documents like Living Wills and Durable Powers of Attorney are in place and that spouses and family members understand what’s in them,” said Boyette.
“We can assess whether VA or Medicaid planning is appropriate and also discuss eligibility for benefits such as Aid and Attendance, a benefit that’s been available for six decades, but which few veterans know about. We always offer our initial consultation at no cost, because we believe it is so important. We don’t want our veterans to lose everything they’ve worked so hard for because they don’t understand how to protect what they have or to access other available resources. We talk about options.
“We also understand that scams abound,” said Boyette. “We want to help make certain no one takes advantage of our veterans or any other person as they enter their golden years.”
Long-time radio personality Rob Newton, who hosts a number of radio programs including the Rob Newton Resource Hour (which streams worldwide daily at 2 p.m. on 790 a.m. radio), said he receives “so many questions” from veterans who have transplanted here and want to know what resources are available to them.
“Many knew who to talk to and where to go in the cities or areas they came from, but since coming to Central Florida, they don’t know where to start or find it hard to traverse the system,” said Newton. “We refer them to the VA Clinic in The Villages or to organizations like Combat Veterans to Careers and attorneys like the BCN Law Firm, which have special expertise in veterans and elder law issues.”
Newton, a long-term resident of The Villages is presently developing an online site which will be called www.SeniorResourceFlorida.com, which will help point area residents to the right resources.
“I feel so blessed to be able to touch the lives of veterans and their families and to help them transition to civilian life,” said Booth. “Aging is just one more transition in the process of living and it’s my goal to help ensure veterans make this transition with dignity and grace.”
“Veterans have unique needs as they enter their senior years and as they near the end of life,” said Boyette. “Not only do I see it in my work, but I also see how organizations like Hospice, which I am a big supporter of, have recognized the unique needs of veterans at end of life. All of us should be working together to make some small payment toward our debt to those brave hearts who sacrificed everything to secure our freedoms. This Memorial Day, we are grateful to remember those who laid down their lives, and all those who were willing to.”