An irrevocable trust alone is not sufficient to provide for protection from estate recovery. It has to be specifically written in a certain manner...

Typically, VA will need to see a support order issued by a court in order to grant an apportionment.

File for Temporary Guardianship through the Probate Court.

Let me suggest you get a consult with a local elder law attorney who can draw out the exact facts, then craft the appropriate contract.

Lots of very good and experienced VA-accredited attorneys in CA. National Organization of Veterans Advocates has a state by state listing.

Your call, but last time I checked, the filing fee for Magistrate Court was $72.50. So, do the math and is the time and effort worth recovering...

As next of kin, you may wish to file for Letters of Administration with the local probate court, so you can be placed in charge of his estate.

38 USCS 1151 provides for redress from VA medical malpractice. Consider seeing a VSO or a VA-accredited attorney and inquiring about an "1151"...

You start by calling DFCS. Then, hire a local family law attorney.

So get a local VSO to file the claim for you--no shortage of them in TX. You can ask the VSO about "substitution" if she had a pending claim,