Marshall County Veteran’s Service Officer Pam Schweizer-Betz is worried that local veterans are signing up with companies that she believes does not serve them in their best interest.
Schweizer-Betz told the Marshall County Commissioners last week that two companies are soliciting business from veterans to invest their net worth to get them to qualify for aid and attendance. Aid and attendance or housebound benefits provide monthly payments added to the amount of a monthly VA pension for qualified veterans and survivors.
Schweizer-Betz noted she’s gotten complaints about two companies visiting nursing homes and churches concerning these services. She also noted that the staff with the companies is not friendly to their clients.
The biggest problem that she sees is that she is not able to help a veteran with the claim if it needs to be adjusted or amended, if the veteran signs up with these companies.
“I can’t help them if they do their claim wrong or if it goes bad and we’ve had a lot of changes since June of last year on the aid and attendance claim,” said Schweizer-Betz. “The VA changed their process to where they’re doing a three to five year look back, there’s an income limit change, a net worth limit, a property assessment limit and that sort of thing. They’re not giving the veterans all of the information they need, plus they’re charging them to do the DD214, the application when it might be the wrong application, and then they’re sending them to me to clean it up. When the issue is done and I can’t help them I have to tell them I can’t help them and they need to hire an attorney at this point.”
Schweizer-Betz said she’s made up her own flyers that outline what she can do for veterans free of charge. She’s an officer of the county who offers free assistance to veterans who need it.
Commissioner Stan Klotz asked if the companies are registered with the county to solicit service as it’s a requirement. It was not known if that registration has taken place.
