VA Aid and Attendance
The VA Aid and Attendance is a special pension benefit which is not dependent upon service related injuries for compensation. The Aid and Attendance Pension can help pay for care in your own home, in Assisted Living or in a Nursing Home.
Pensions are for those Veterans and unremarried surviving spouses (SS) who have wartime service requirement, are unable to work due to disability and/or are age 65 or older and meet income restrictions. If the income is under the established ceiling, VA will pay the difference to bring Veteran or SS up to the ceiling.
According to the VA, Veterans and survivors who are eligible for a VA pension and require the aid and attendance of another person, or are housebound, may be eligible for additional monetary payment. These benefits are paid in addition to monthly pension, and they are not paid without eligibility to Pension.
Since Aid and Attendance and Housebound allowances increase the pension amount, people who are not eligible for a basic pension due to excessive income may be eligible for pension at these increased rates. A Veteran or surviving spouse may not receive Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.
The Aid & Attendance (A&A) increased monthly pension amount may be added to your monthly pension amount if you meet one of the following conditions:
- You require the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting yourself from the hazards of your daily environment
- You are bedridden, in that your disability or disabilities requires that you remain in bed apart from any prescribed course of convalescence or treatment
- You are a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity
- Your eyesight is limited to a corrected 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less
Legal Awareness for Seniors understands Medicaid eligibility requirements and specializes in developing Veterans Benefits plans that do not preclude a future Medicaid application. The key to doing so is devising a plan that includes flexibility for changing long-term care needs.
Call us for a free initial consultation.
