[Last updated December 1, 2023]
Paying for senior care can be daunting, and many older adults must consider all their financial options to pay for the care they need. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) offers the Aid and Attendance benefit to Veterans and surviving spouses who meet specific criteria. This benefit can provide qualified applicants up to thousands of dollars per month, which can go a long way in paying for the cost of senior care.
The VA’s Aid and Attendance benefit provides additional income to qualifying Veterans and their spouses. More people may qualify than they realize, so it’s important to understand eligibility requirements. There are multiple criteria to meet, and the application process can be complex; however, the benefit is valuable to those who qualify.
Here, we’re breaking down the Aid and Attendance benefit, how much money a person can receive, eligibility requirements, and how to apply.
What is the VA Aid and Attendance benefit?
The Aid and Attendance benefit is a pension program offered by the VA to eligible U.S. military Veterans and their spouses. It provides monthly, tax-free income to wartime Veterans and their surviving spouses who meet specific qualifications related to the Veteran’s military service, income, and health.
This pension program provides significant financial support to eligible Veterans and surviving spouses with non-service connected disabilities typically resulting from advanced age. Among the requirements is that they have a cognitive or physical impairment that causes them to need help with activities of daily living.
The purpose of the benefit is to provide financial support to individuals with limited income and extensive care needs. We’ll cover the financial and health criteria in a later section, but consider this: The health criteria require that the applicant needs help completing basic personal care tasks, for which professional caregivers can be costly. The income criteria require the applicant not to exceed a modest income and net worth threshold. Combining these two sets of criteria means that a person can receive this benefit if they have extensive care needs with limited means to pay for that care. Aid and Attendance helps bridge the gap between receiving and paying for the necessary care.
What type of care does the Aid and Attendance benefit cover?
VA makes the monthly payment directly to the recipient’s bank account so that the income can be used for any household or personal expenses.
The Aid and Attendance benefit can help recipients pay for senior care in various residential settings:
- •Assisted living: Because the pension program provides monthly supplemental income to those who need help with daily living activities, eligible individuals can use the benefits to pay for rent at an assisted living facility that offers such care.
- •Home care: The recipient can use the benefit to pay for home care services that help them with daily living activities that they cannot perform independently in their home.
- •Memory care: The Aid and Attendance benefit can also cover targeted care for those with Alzheimer’s disease or another form of dementia, known as memory care. A memory care community employs trained individuals to care for those with memory impairments and ensure the residents’ safety. Memory care often provides meals and activities catering to those experiencing unique needs when living with memory loss.
- •Adult day care: Older adults can attend adult day care services, which offer engaging, supervised environments typically during normal business hours. Recipients can use the Aid and Attendance benefit for adult day care.
- •Nursing home care: Eligible beneficiaries can put this benefit toward paying to live in a nursing home. These residential facilities care for people who require a higher level of personal care than they can receive in their homes or assisted living.
Aid and Attendance benefit amounts
VA assesses the Aid and Attendance maximum benefit amounts annually and may adjust them. Historically, increases in maximum monthly benefits correlate to the Social Security Administration’s cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). The maximum monthly benefit for 2024 is $2,727, however, the actual monthly benefit amount awarded to the recipient is based on the net income listed on the individual’s application.
The maximum monthly benefits for 2024 are as follows:
| Veteran’s marital status | Who needs care | 2024 maximum monthly benefit |
| Veteran is married | Veteran needs care | $2,727 |
| Veteran is not married | Veteran needs care | $2,300 |
| Veteran is married | Spouse needs care | $1,806 |
| Veteran is deceased and was married to the spouse at the time of Veteran’s death | Surviving spouse needs care | $1,478 |
Who is eligible for the Aid and Attendance benefit?
To qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit, you must meet certain criteria in the following areas:
- •You are a Veteran or surviving spouse of a Veteran.
- •The Veteran did not receive a dishonorable discharge.
- •The Veteran served qualifying military service of at least one day of active duty during dates of a wartime period, such as World War II, the Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War era, or the Gulf War.
- •If the Veteran started active duty before September 8, 1980, they must have served at least 90 days of active duty in a U.S. military branch. If the Veteran started after September 7, 1980, they must have served 24 months of active duty.
- • Applicant does not exceed the net worth limit of $155,356.
- •The applicant meets at least one of the following health criteria:
- ◦You require assistance with at least two activities of daily living, such as feeding, bathing, dressing, and transferring (such as to and from bed).
- ◦You need to live in a senior living community that protects your safety due to physical or cognitive issues such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, or other health or medical issues.
- ◦You have vision impairment, such as macular degeneration, or are diagnosed as legally blind.
Frequently asked questions about Aid and Attendance eligibility
There are multiple criteria to qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit, so understanding the details can be tricky. More Veterans and surviving spouses may be eligible than they realize. Here are some common questions about eligibility requirements for the Aid and Attendance benefit:
- •Does the Veteran have to have served in combat? No. The Veteran does not have to have served in a combat zone. If a Veteran has at least one day of active duty anywhere during a wartime period, they may meet the first part of the service requirement, even if they did not serve in combat.
- •Must all 90 of the Veteran’s active duty days have been during wartime? No. For example, if the Veteran served one day of active duty during wartime and the other 89 days of active duty during peacetime, the Veteran may still meet the service criteria.
- •Are Veterans of only certain military branches eligible for this benefit? No. All military branches that existed during the approved wartimes qualify: Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, National Guard, and Merchant Marines. Reservists of any military branch may also qualify if they were called to active duty.
- •Do you have to receive disability compensation to apply for Aid and Attendance? No. You do not need to receive disability compensation to meet health criteria for the benefit.
- •Can you receive the Aid and Attendance benefit simultaneously with other pensions? A Veteran who already receives a VA career military pension may also receive the Aid and Attendance benefit if they meet the military service, financial, health, and income requirements.
- •Must a spouse have been married to the Veteran during the time of service to be considered a surviving spouse? No. A spouse doesn’t need to be married to the Veteran during the time of service to be considered a surviving spouse. The spouse must have been married to a Veteran for at least 365 days and have been married to them at the time of their death to be considered a surviving spouse.
How to apply for the Aid and Attendance benefit
An applicant needs significant documentation to demonstrate the household, financial, military service, and health requirements. Below, we provide information on how to get expert help with the 30-page application and how to apply on your own.
Get expert help with your application
Many successful Veteran families work with third-party companies to apply for Aid and Attendance because of the application’s long and complex process. In addition to preparing the required financial, health, and military service information, claimants must complete the application form — which is over 30 pages long.
Third-party companies that know VA’s process and criteria can be valuable in helping navigate the application process. Companies like ElderLife Financial Services can offer expert help with this complex application to help you get approval and start receiving benefits as quickly as possible. ElderLife Financial partners with AidandAttendance.com, a technology company specializing in helping families apply for the benefit and simplifying the application process. The company’s online application guides applicants through the process and provides a completed document to print, sign, and send to VA by fax or mail. The company also offers a premium service that has a specialist review the application before the family submits it to help ensure the applicant has completed it thoroughly.
Assistance with the application process can save the applicant and their family time so they can begin receiving the benefit as soon as possible.
Complete the application on your own
Those who believe they are eligible may also apply on their own. The Aid and Attendance application consists of two primary application forms:
- •Form 21P-527EZ is for Veterans applying to receive the benefit.
- •Form 21P-534EZ is for surviving spouses of Veterans applying for the benefit.
Depending on the applicant’s circumstance, they may also need to complete other forms.
The applicant must prepare to complete the application by gathering information about their monthly household income, monthly senior care expenses, countable net worth, health, and the Veteran’s military service:
- •Financial documents: The program’s application review process became more complex in 2018 when it began to include a three-year look-back period and asset limits. You’ll need to gather financial information about your household’s income, care expenses, and net worth.
- •Health documents: You’ll also need information about your health to demonstrate your need for help with daily living activities or that you have a cognitive impairment. Your health care professional must sign the application to verify these needs.
- •Military service documents: You must provide the Veteran’s discharge papers to certify that their service time qualifies them or their surviving spouse for the benefit. If you don’t have a copy of these forms, you can order them through the National Archives or AidandAttendance.com.
The applicant, their doctor, and their senior care provider (such as the senior living facility or another care provider) must sign the application forms. Then the applicant mails or faxes the application to VA.
Applications are typically processed in about six months or longer if the applicant completes it by hand. Applications completed using AidandAttendance.com’s online programs are awarded in four months, on average. If VA approves the application, the benefit recipient will receive retroactive payments starting the first month after they opened their claim. Opening a claim means submitting an Intent to File form or the entire application.
