"Stable Able"/1/7 - U.S. Marine Corps Newsletter

VA BENEFITS - LONG TERM CARE INFORMATION:

More and more senior veterans are discovering a little-known veterans benefit that helps pay for long-term care. Called the "aid-and-attendance" pension benefit, it pays up to $1,470 a month to a qualify-ing veteran, $945 a month to a surviving spouse, or $1,743 a month to a couple to defray the expense of long-term care.

WHO CAN APPLY?
To qualify, veterans must:

Have served in wartime, though they didn't have to see combat.
Have no more than $80,000 in assets, not counting the family home, car and personal possessions.
Prove financial need; usually by demonstrating expenses exceed their income.
Show they need someone to help them with basic activities of living, such as bathing, grooming or eating.

The monthly benefit pays up to:

$1,470 to a veteran.
$945 to a surviving spouse.
$1,743 to a couple.

First, they don't have to exhaust their assets, as they must do before getting help from Medicaid with nursing home costs, he said. A veteran may have up to $80,000, and a home, car and personal possessions aren't counted.

Next, veterans can transfer assets, typically to their children, to reduce

their net worth and qualify for the pension benefit, Mr. Clark said. Anyone applying for Medicaid faces strict limits on asset transfers. Finally, applicants usually can prove a financial need by showing their expenses exceed their income. That's a modest standard for people facing tens of thousands of dollars in long-term care costs each year, he said.

Applications generally take four to six months for the Department of Veterans Affairs to process, assuming a senior has submitted all the required forms and answered all the questions.

When people hear about veteran's benefits, they usually think of veteran's hospitals treating service-related injuries. Many don't realize the benefits extend far beyond that. A particularly useful web site in learning about this benefit is http://www.veteranaid.org/index.php. The site includes the forms and step-by-step instructions for application. Semper Fidelis, Oklahoma Marines
oklahomamarines@cox.net
US Marine Corps Coordinating Council of Oklahoma
http://www.oklahomamarines.org

This information just might be helpful to some of our Marines. Thanks Muley for sending it to me. Harold L. "Muley" Mulhausen
3.5 ROCKETS 11/50 - 11/51

QUANTICO, VA.

QUANTICO means "by the large stream, " according to Native American lore, and was explored by Captain John Smith in 1608. During WW I, the Marines used the federal power of eminent domain to acquire 6,000 acres of land to build a

training base at Quantico for infantry leaders getting ready to ship out. The

topographical convergence in Virginia-with its creeks, woods, ravines, and beaches-allowed officers to practice leading amphibious landings on hostile shores, maneuvering troops through dense woods, and climbing up rocky gullies. With typical understatement, the Corps called its officer-training program "The Basic School."

From the book "Boys of '67" by Charles Jones (By the way if you want to read a good book about some of our officers I suggest you get this one!) Shifty

SEMPER FIDELIS
(Bob Aquilina)

Many folks have asked the question: "Where did the Marine motto, Semper Fidelis, come from.

Here's the answer.

"Semper Fidelis," meaning "always faithful," was officially adopted as the motto of the Marine Corps in 1880. It replaced the motto "By Land and Sea," which was it self a translation of the British Royal Marine motto "Per Mare Per Terram."

This motto ("Per Mare Per Terram") apparently was placed upon the flag of the U.S. Marine Corps in commemoration of its service with the Army during the Mexican War. The choice of "Semper Fidelis" was probably inspired by the desire to have a motto expressing the faithfulness of the Marines, which was always considered to be the Corps' cardinal virtue.