My prior post, Determining the Maximum Allowable Pension Rate: Part I, outlined the maximum monthly benefit amount for a veteran with a spouse, a single veteran, or a single surviving spouse of a veteran; and the rating of the particular claimant. As most VA practitioners know, the VA pension benefit will range from zero dollars up to the category's maximum allowable pension rate ("MAPR"). However, I did not go into detail as to the calculations used to determine the anticipated pe ...
Several of the most popular inquiries I typically receive in the Ask Dale section of this web site revolves around the community spouse Medicaid Compliant Annuity planning process. When is the right time to make the investment? How much should the community spouse invest? What benefit period should the community spouse opt for?
In that community spouse are typically not required to adhere to as strict income and resource requirements as their institutionalized counterparts, ...
In my practice of advising elder law attorneys regarding their clients' Medicaid and VA needs, if a case involves a trust and the need to accumulate income - no annual distributions, I typically recommend using a non-qualified fixed annuity as the investment vehicle.
The primary reasons why I make such a recommendation are that a fixed annuity offers safety of principal, a guaranteed return over a guaranteed period, and income tax deferral. Unlike a variable annuity which is s ...
