Where Presidential Candidates Stand on Medicaid and Veterans' Issues
If you cannot view the image below, please read the article on our blog.
Q. I am having a hard time following where the candidates stand on Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. I watched all the debates so far, and typically vote based on the person, not the party. If you know more about their stances on these issues, can you provide an apples-to-apples view on where they all stand, so I can make an informed decision. Thanks very much for your help!
A. When it comes to Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, there are clear differences between the Democratic and Republican candidates. Medicaid, in particular, has been an ongoing topic of debate in the 2016 Presidential campaign. Veteran's issues are also important to many of us, and have been addressed by the candidates in debates, interviews, news articles, and more. Last
week, we looked at the candidate's views on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and Social Security. Today, we will examine the positions taken by the leading 2016 presidential candidates on Medicaid and Veteran's issues, using the chart below. Again, for Republicans, we will focus on the top 4 candidates, based on the most recent polls. Information in the chart is derived from OntheIssues.com, various articles for which I provided the links, and candidate's websites.
| Candidate |
Issue |
View |
Democrats
 |
|
|
| Hillary Clinton |
Medicaid |
Clinton says, "Medicare and Medicaid have saved lives for half a century. An attack on them is an attack on seniors and vulnerable Americans." - Facebook
post
|
| |
Veterans |
According to Clinton,"(h)onoring veterans is a solemn duty. I'll reform the VA—not privatize it. I’ll ensure our veterans get quality health care without enduring long waits, increase education and job opportunities, and end the appeals backlog—because veterans shouldn't have to
fight for benefits. And I'll work to end crises many veterans face: homelessness and suicide."
KOLO - Jun 19, 2015
|
| Bernie Sanders |
Medicaid |
Sanders says, "Don't Cut Medicaid." Watch his video here. |
| |
Veterans |
According to Sanders, "(j)ust as weapons are a cost of war, so is taking care of the people we sent to fight. Veterans must receive the health care and benefits they have earned. Veterans must have timely access to care, and deserve access to dental and long-term care. We must end vets’
homelessness and fix the VA’s disability claims process."
Dec 30, 2015
"It is unacceptable that millions of senior citizens and disabled veterans did not receive a cost-of-living adjustment this year to keep up with their rising living expenses” he said.
Rutland Herald - Dec 3, 2015
|
Republicans
 |
|
|
| Donald Trump |
Medicaid |
Notably, Trump is the only republican candidate who vows to expand economic growth enough that cuts in Medicaid will be unnecessary. Trump discusses Medicaid in his announcement speech in Time magazine. |
| |
Veterans |
In a USA Today op-ed, Trump said his “record of veteran support is well-documented. I served as co-chairman of the New York Vietnam Veterans Memorial Commission and was responsible, with a small group, for getting it built.”Leader of
New York Veterans Group Defends Donald Trump
ABC News - Jul 20, 2015
According to Trump, "(d)uring my entire business career, I have always made supporting Veterans a top priority because our heroes deserve the very best for defending our freedom,” Trump said in a statement on Sunday, pointing to his work on a veterans memorial and as grand marshal of the New York City Veterans' Day Parade." Trump Could Bump GOP Veterans Off Debate Stage
WGBH NEWS - Jul 21, 2015
|
| Ben Carson |
Medicaid |
Ben Carson said, "More freedom and less government in our healthcare system will mean lower costs, more access, and continued innovation. Read more on his website. |
| |
Veterans |
According to Carson, "(a)s president, I will direct a fundamental transformation in how we care for and empower Veterans across America, including reforming the Veterans Administration (VA). With our current unprecedented level of American support for better Veterans health care, military transition, education and employment, we will make
great strides together." -Dec 30, 2015
Ben Carson told WMAL’s ‘Drive at Five Show’ in Washington, D.C. following VA Secretary Shinseki’s resignation that the greatest problem with the VA system is ‘too many layers of bureaucrats.’ […] ‘The real issue is that you got to get all that bureaucracy out of there and quite frankly, do we even need
that system for most of our veterans? Why can they not be served at the local hospitals where they live and not have to drive 50 or a 100 miles to get a to a veterans facility? These are honored people in our society. They should be welcomed at any of our facilities and we should be honored to take care of them.’” [Daily Caller, 5/30/14]
|
| Ted Cruz |
Medicaid |
Cruz said, "And one of the things about Medicaid--if you look at the health outcomes on Medicaid, health outcomes are markedly worse when people get on Medicaid. Medicaid is not performing well. And, in fact, people's life expectancy goes down on Medicaid. It is markedly worse." Read more in Katie
Couric's interview with Ted Cruz. |
| |
Veterans |
Cruz said on Veterans’ Day that "if elected president, he would hold the US Department of Veterans Affairs and its employees accountable for “falsely denying care” and “anyone
criminally liable will be prosecuted.”
Cruz specifically criticized Clinton for saying in an interview that problems at the VA were not “as widespread as it has been made out to be.”
|
| Marco Rubio |
Medicaid |
Rubio believes we must "move Medicaid into a per-capita cap system, preserving funding for Medicaid's unique populations, while freeing states from Washington mandates." Read more on his website. |
| |
Veterans |
According to Rubio, “(u)nfortunately today we have a VA that does not do enough for (veterans)” Here's Everything Feds Need to Know About Thursday's GOP Debates
Government Executive - Aug 6, 2015
Rubio said, "(w)e need to have a VA that is more interested in the welfare and security of our veterans than in the job security of federal employees,” Rubio said.Presidential Hopeful Says It Should Be Easier to Fire All
Feds
Government Executive - Oct 20, 2015
|
I hope you find this and the first part of our series to be helpful! We will continue to keep our readers updated, as the presidential campaign heats
up and the candidates continue to refine their positions about these issues.
Are You or Your Loved One a Veteran?
Here at the Farr Law Firm, we work with veterans and their spouses to evaluate whether they qualify for the Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit and/or Medicaid, and we deal with all the paperwork. As an Accredited Attorney with the U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs and Certified Elder Law Attorney, I understand both the Veterans Aid and Attendance Benefit and the Medicaid program and the interaction
between both benefit programs. Please call us to make an appointment for a no-cost initial consultation:
Fairfax Veteran’s Attorney: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg Veteran’s Attorney: 540-479-143
Rockville Veteran’s Attorney: 301-519-8041
DC Veteran’s Attorney: 202-587-2797
P.S. Another benefit of being a veteran is a 15% discount off all services at the Farr Law Firm. We hope to see your family soon!
-------
Critter Corner: VA Financial Assistance for Caregivers
Dear Commander Bun Bun,
I am a caregiver for my father, who is a U.S. Navy veteran. Do you know about any benefits that our family may be eligible for, and how to go about applying for them?
Thanks for your help!
Carin Foravett
---
Dear Carin,
Aid and Attendance is a VA Special Pension benefit for vets that is largely unknown to many and, therefore, many veterans and their spouses may be missing out on financial assistance that is available.
Veteran's Aid and Attendance allows for veterans and surviving spouses who need another person to assist them with Activities of Daily Living (such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, medication management, etc.) to receive additional monetary benefits. This benefit includes vets who are cared for at home, in a nursing home, or in an assisted living facility.
As of 2016, the following benefits are available:
- Single sick Veteran ~ $21,466 per year / $1,788 per month
- Healthy Veteran with sick spouse ~ $16,848 per year / $1,404 per month
- Married sick Veteran ~ $25,448 per year / $2,120 per month
- Married, Both Veterans sick ~ $34,050 per year / $2,837 per month
- Surviving Spouse – $13,794 per year / $1,149 per month
To qualify, the veteran's doctor must verify that the veteran requires daily assistance from others such as those described above.
Last year, the VA proposed to amend its regulations governing entitlement to Aid and Attendance. The regulations establish new requirements
pertaining to pre-application net worth evaluations and asset transfers to qualify for the benefit, including a three year look-back period, and these proposed new regulations will most likely go into effect sometime this year. Please read our blog post on this topic for more details.
Getting the Aid and Attendance benefit to pay for family caregivers is not an easy task. There must be a caregiver contract in place and services for care must be initiated and thoroughly documented before application can be made. Therefore, it would be wise to seek help from an experienced elder law attorney, such as Mr. Farr, who specializes in VA benefits and Medicaid, to get the contract in place, and
to apply for the Aid and Attendance benefit.
Hop this is helpful!
Commander Bun Bun
---------
Sign up for our FREE Special Reports and get the answers to your burning questions! Just click on a cover
below!
 |
|
|
| We’re Giving Away My Best-Selling Books – Click Here to Find out Why and to Get Your Free Copies |
|
|
|
| Find Us |
|
|
| Upcoming Events |
|
Our upcoming Living Trust Plus Seminar: "How to Protect Your Assets from the Expenses of Probate and Long Term Care" is on February 27, March 12, or April 9 in Fairfax.
----------
|
Article Reprint Authorization
|
We invite you to reprint our articles to bring helpful content to your readers, with the following guidelines:
-The article is to be printed in its entirety;
-Additions, deletions, or changes in the text, title or illustrations may not be made;
-Credit is given to The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C., as the original source.
Example:
Source: Reprinted from The Law Firm of Evan H. Farr, P.C. Newsletter (www.FarrLawFirm.com)
|
|
Mailing Address
|
Fairfax:
10640 Main Street
Suite 200
Fairfax, VA 22030
703-691-1888
Fredericksburg:
511 Westwood Office Park
Fredericksburg, VA 22401
540-479-1435
Rockville, MD:
1 Research Court
Suite 450
Rockville MD 20850
301-519-8041
Washington, DC:
1425 K Street, NW
Suite 350
Washington, DC 20005
202-587-2797
|
|
