Veterans disability pension: If you are a wartime veteran with a limited income and you are no longer able to work, you may qualify for a veterans disability pension or the veterans pension for veterans 65 or older.

Many veterans of wartime service are completely unaware of the fact that if they are 65 or older and on a limited income they may qualify for a VA pension without being disabled.

An estimated 2 million impoverished veterans and their widows are not receiving the VA pension they deserve because they do not know about it. The VA has had limited success in getting the information to them.

You may be eligible if you were discharged from service under other than dishonorable conditions, and you served 90 days or more of active duty with at least 1 day during a period of war time. With the advent of the Gulf War on Aug. 2, 1990 (and still not ended by Congress to this day), veterans can now serve after Aug. 2 1990 during a period of war time. When they do, they generally now must serve 24 months to be eligible for a pension. They must be permanently and totally disabled, or age 65 or older, and their countable family income must be below a yearly limit set by law.

Some income is not counted toward the yearly limit (for example, welfare benefits, some wages earned by dependent children, and Supplemental Security Income). It's also important to note that medical related expenses are considered when determining your yearly family income. VA pays the difference between countable family income and the yearly income limit. This difference is generally paid in 12 equal monthly payments rounded down to the nearest dollar.

Our office can assist you in applying for this benefit.

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Veterans with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis may receive badly-needed support for themselves and their families after the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that ALS will become a presumptively compensable illness for all veterans with 90 days or more of continuously active service in the military. This change is being made primarily because of a November 2006 report by the National Academy of Sciences' Institute of Medicine on the association between active-duty service and ALS.

ALS, also called Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neuromuscular disease that affects about 20,000 to 30,000 people of all races and ethnicities in the United States, is often relentlessly progressive, and is almost always fatal. ALS causes degeneration of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that leads to muscle weakness, muscle atrophy, and spontaneous muscle activity. Currently, the cause of ALS is unknown, and there is no effective treatment.

The new regulation applies to all applications for benefits received by VA on or after Sept. 23, 2008, or that are pending before VA, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, or the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit on that date. Because veterans are developing ALS in rates higher than the general population, VA will work to identify and contact veterans with ALS, including those whose claims for ALS were previously denied, through direct mailings and other outreach programs.

There are many state and federal benefits and programs available to veterans and their dependents. To find out if you are eligible for any of these benefits, visit or call our office. We can and will assist you in completing all required application forms. Information can also be found on the Kings County Veterans Service Office Web site at www.countyofkings.com.

Joe Wright, retired Navy Master Chief Petty Officer, is the Veterans Service Officer for Kings County. Send your questions to the Veterans Service Office, 1400 West Lacey Blvd, Hanford, CA 93230, call 582-3211 Ext. 2662, or email joe.wright@co.kings.ca.us.

(Oct. 9, 2008)