VA Aid and Attendance: who qualifies, what it pays and how to apply

VA Aid and Attendance is an extra monthly payment added to a VA pension for qualified Veterans and survivors who need help with daily activities. It is not a stand-alone benefit: you must qualify for the pension first. The amount depends on your income, and it is usually less than the maximum rate.

Carevo does not decide eligibility or file claims. VA does. Use this page to understand the rules, then speak to an accredited representative.

Who qualifies for Aid and Attendance

VA.gov says you must meet at least one of these:

• You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding and dressing.
• You must stay in bed, or spend much of the day there, because of illness.
• You are in a nursing home because of lost mental or physical abilities related to a disability.
• Your eyesight is severely limited: 5/200 or less in both eyes, even with corrective lenses, or a visual field contracted to 5 degrees or less.

You must also qualify for the underlying pension. That means wartime service, age or disability requirements, and income and net worth within limits. See VA pension eligibility.

Housebound is a separate add-on for people who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability. You cannot get both.

2026 maximum rates

These are the maximum annual pension rates, with a cost-of-living increase of 2.8% effective December 1, 2025. They are caps, not what every person gets.

Household	Basic pension	With Housebound	With Aid and Attendance
Veteran, no dependents	$17,441	$21,313	$29,093
Veteran with one dependent	$22,839	$26,710	$34,488
Surviving spouse, no dependents	$11,699	$14,298	$18,697
Surviving spouse with one child	$15,311	$17,902	$22,304

Each additional dependent child adds $2,984 to the rate. Aid and Attendance raises the rate that the pension formula starts from. Survivors have their own rates, shown in the last two rows.

How the payment is worked out

VA bases the payment on the difference between your income for VA purposes and the maximum annual pension rate. Your income includes Social Security, investment and retirement payments, and your dependents' income. Some expenses lower it, such as non-reimbursable medical expenses, but only the amount above 5% of the maximum rate counts.

Net worth also matters. VA's limit is $163,699 for the period it lists. Net worth counts personal property, excluding your house, car and most home furnishings, minus debts, and it includes your spouse's net worth.

Ask your accredited representative which care costs VA will accept as medical expenses in your case. Try the Aid and Attendance calculator to see how income and expenses move the amount. It is an estimate and VA decides.

How to apply

VA.gov lists these ways to apply for Aid and Attendance:

• Online through VA.gov. A medical examiner must complete the examination section.
• By mail, with VA Form 21-2680 (the examiner completes the exam section), sent to the Pension Intake Center. If you are in a nursing home, VA Form 21-0779 is also required.
• In person at a nearby VA regional office.

If you are applying for the pension at the same time, VA lists five ways to apply, including form 21P-527EZ and help from a trained professional. An intent to file can set a potential effective date and may allow retroactive payments. VA says it processes claims in the order received and does not give a set timeline.

VA.gov says you can work with an accredited attorney, claims agent or Veterans Service Organization representative to get help applying.

Questions to ask before you apply

• Do I meet the wartime service requirement for the pension?
• Is my net worth within the limit, and which assets does VA count?
• Which of my care costs will VA count as medical expenses when it works out my income?
• If I am in a nursing home, who completes VA Form 21-0779?
• If I move to assisted living later, how does that change my claim?

An accredited representative can answer these for your case. Carevo cannot.

Paying for care while you wait

Aid and Attendance is a monthly pension amount, not a care service run by VA. If you need care now, see home care, assisted living and nursing homes. For other routes, see VA help paying for care, Medicaid and private pay. Or tell us what you need.