I have some bad news...

[Drunken Irishman]

25. Thanks for the reply...

To answer your questions...1

1. My mom applied for service related death benefits because my dad's health had deteriorated mostly because of problems associated with Agent Orange. However, they denied her the claim late last year. I believe she can refile, but I'm not optimistic.

I should point out that my mom would have been eligible for half my dad's benefits if he had died ten years after being ruled 100% disabled. He died eight years after, so, was two years short of the cutoff date. The VA has pretty much said they won't bend on this one. Had he made it two years, she most certainly would've been okay.

2. I looked it up, and apparently, SS is countable income. It sucks, but that's how it appears.

It's a travesty the way we treat our veterans and their families. My mom devoted her entire life fighting for my dad. She was the one who initially researched his Agent Orange claims in the 90s because she knew something was happening to him. She's the one who fought for him every step of the way, fighting for benefits owed to him - fighting for his health.

Then he dies and we turn around and say, "oh well."