VA pension and Aid & Attendance: monthly money for wartime Veterans

What VA pension is

VA pension is a monthly payment for wartime Veterans with limited income and savings. It is based on need, not on an injury from service. Many Vietnam-era Veterans who never filed a claim may qualify, especially once they pay for home care or assisted living.

VA sets a yearly limit called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR). VA pays the difference between your countable income and that limit, split into monthly payments.

Who may qualify: wartime service and the 90-day rule

Your discharge can't be dishonorable. You need at least 1 day of active duty during a wartime period. You don't need to have been in combat or overseas.

If you started active duty before September 8, 1980, you need at least 90 days of active duty in all, with at least 1 day in wartime. If you enlisted after September 7, 1980, you usually need 24 months, or the full time you were called up for. Officers who started after October 16, 1981 follow the same 24-month rule.

• World War II: December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946
• Korean conflict: June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955
• Vietnam era: August 5, 1964 to May 7, 1975 for everyone, or from November 1, 1955 if you served in the Republic of Vietnam
• Gulf War: August 2, 1990 to a date not yet set (so it's still open)
• Earlier periods (Mexican Border and World War I) also count.

Age 65 or older, or a disability

You also need at least one of these. The disability does not have to come from your service.

• You're 65 or older.
• You have a permanent and total disability.
• You live in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability.
• You get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The income and savings test (December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026)

These are the yearly limits (MAPR). If your countable income is below the limit, VA may pay you the difference. VA usually updates these numbers each December 1.

Your net worth must be $163,699 or less. Net worth is your savings and property plus your yearly countable income. It includes your spouse's. It does not count your home (and a lot up to 2 acres), your car, or most of your furniture. Your home still doesn't count if you move into a nursing home or assisted living.

• Veteran alone: $17,441 a year. With Housebound: $21,313. With Aid & Attendance: $29,093.
• Veteran with a spouse or one dependent: $22,839 a year. With Housebound: $26,710. With Aid & Attendance: $34,488.
• Each extra dependent adds $2,984 a year.
• Example: a single Veteran with $1,200 a month in Social Security ($14,400 a year) and no medical costs could get about $3,041 a year (about $253 a month). Medical costs can raise that a lot. See the next part.

Medical costs can lower your countable income

Medical costs you pay yourself, and that nobody pays you back for, can be taken off your income. Only the part above 5% of the basic limit counts: $872 a year if you're single, or $1,141 with a spouse or dependent.

This is how many Veterans in assisted living, or who pay for help at home, qualify even with a decent Social Security check. If your care costs more than your income, your countable income can drop to zero, and VA may pay the full limit.

• Health insurance premiums count, including Medicare Part B and Part D and long-term care insurance.
• Nursing homes and VA-approved medical foster homes count in full, including room and meals.
• Paid help at home with bathing, dressing, eating and similar care counts if you qualify for Aid & Attendance or Housebound, or if a doctor, physician assistant or nurse practitioner says in writing that you need that care.
• Assisted living: the care counts under the same test. Room and meals count too when the place provides or arranges your care, or a doctor says in writing you need to live there to get care.
• Medicines, hearing aids, glasses, medical supplies, and miles you drive to medical visits also count.
• Keep bills and receipts. VA asks for them.

Aid & Attendance or Housebound: extra money if you need help

These are added to pension. You can get one or the other, not both.

Aid & Attendance may fit if you need another person to help you bathe, eat or dress; you stay in bed most of the day because of illness; you live in a nursing home because of a loss of physical or mental abilities; or your eyesight is 5/200 or worse in both eyes even with glasses.

Housebound may fit if a permanent disability keeps you in your home most of the time.

• Your doctor fills out VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance).
• If you live in a nursing home, the home also fills out VA Form 21-0779.
• Send these with your pension application, or later if your needs change.

Pension or disability compensation? VA pays the higher one

You can't get VA pension and VA disability compensation at the same time. If you qualify for both, VA pays whichever is higher, unless you choose the lower one. A claim for one can count as a claim for the other.

If you already get disability compensation, ask a VSO to compare. Some Veterans with a low rating and high medical costs get more from pension.

Survivors Pension for spouses and children

A surviving spouse or child of a wartime Veteran may qualify for Survivors Pension if their income and net worth are limited. The Veteran's death does not have to be connected to service. The same $163,699 net worth limit applies.

Yearly limits for a surviving spouse with no dependents: $11,699, or $14,298 with Housebound, or $18,697 with Aid & Attendance. With one dependent: $15,311, $17,902 or $22,304. Apply with VA Form 21P-534EZ. The same form asks for DIC and any money VA owed the Veteran.

How to apply

Apply with VA Form 21P-527EZ. You can apply online at VA.gov, upload the form, mail it, or bring it to a VA regional office. A free accredited VSO can fill it out with you.

If you aren't ready yet, file an Intent to File first. If you then apply within one year, VA can pay from the Intent to File date. You don't need one if you apply online while signed in to VA.gov.

• Have ready: your Social Security number, DD-214, marriage and family details (and your spouse's), work history, monthly income, savings, and medical costs.
• Under 65? Send your medical records too.
• Mail to: Department of Veterans Affairs, Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365.
• Questions? VA benefits: 800-827-1000.