Veterans benefits for paying for care — applying for Aid and Attendance

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical, legal, or financial advice. Every family situation is different, and you should consult with appropriate professionals about your specific circumstances.

The Benefit Virtually Nobody Knows About

Your parent served in the military forty years ago. They don't think much about it anymore. They got their discharge papers, went on with their life, got a job, started a family, built a career. They've been a civilian their entire adult life. They never applied for military benefits beyond maybe some GI Bill benefit decades back. Now your parent needs care, care is expensive, and their resources are limited. You're staring at the math of how long their savings will last, and it's not a comforting picture.

This is where many families don't realize what might be available. The Department of Veterans Affairs offers a benefit called Aid and Attendance that can pay up to three thousand dollars a month for eligible veterans and their surviving spouses. Three thousand dollars a month. That's the difference between your parent's savings covering two years of care and covering five. That's sometimes the difference between your parent staying in their community and having to move when money runs out. That's a significant amount of money.

But almost nobody claims it. Military families don't know it exists. Veterans don't think they qualify because they don't think about themselves as needing "assistance." They think this benefit is for homeless veterans or severely disabled combat veterans. They don't realize the benefit is for aging veterans who need help with daily living, which includes almost everyone at some point. They don't apply, so they never access something they'd earned through their service.

This article is here to change that. If your parent served in the military, if your parent or your parent's spouse served, you should know about this benefit. Knowing about it doesn't mean you'll qualify—the eligibility requirements are real. But understanding what exists and whether your parent might qualify is the first step toward potentially accessing significant financial help for care.

Understanding Aid and Attendance

The Aid and Attendance benefit is officially part of the Disability Compensation and Pension benefits programs run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. It's available to veterans with a service-connected disability rated at a certain level and to non-service-connected veterans who are over sixty-five and have insufficient income. It's also available to surviving spouses and children of deceased veterans in some cases.

The key term here is "aid and attendance." This means the veteran needs help with activities of daily living because of a physical or mental condition. These activities include bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, eating, ambulating, and continence. Your parent doesn't need to be completely dependent in all these areas. Your parent needs to have a condition that requires someone to help them with any of these activities.

The monthly payment amount varies. As of 2024, the maximum benefit for a veteran with a spouse is close to three thousand dollars. The amount for a single veteran is lower. These amounts adjust annually. The specific amount your parent receives depends on their financial situation. If your parent has substantial income from other sources, the benefit is reduced or eliminated. If your parent has minimal other income, they get the full amount. This is why understanding your parent's financial picture matters when applying.

The benefit requires that a medical professional certifies your parent's condition. Your parent needs to see a doctor who can document that they require help with daily living. This doesn't have to be a VA doctor. It can be your parent's regular doctor. The doctor needs to understand what the medical documentation is for and provide sufficient detail about your parent's condition and limitations.

The application process is handled through the Veterans Benefits Administration. There are forms to fill out. There's documentation to submit. There's a review period where the VA considers your application. Processing can take several months. This is why applying early matters, even if your parent's need isn't immediate.

One important thing to understand: Aid and Attendance is not just for facility care. Your parent can receive the benefit while living at home with care provided by family, hired caregivers, or home care agencies. Your parent can receive it while in assisted living, in a memory care community, in a nursing home. The location doesn't matter. What matters is that your parent needs and receives help with daily living.

Who Qualifies

Eligibility for Aid and Attendance has requirements, but the requirements are broader than many people assume. Your parent had to serve during a wartime period. This is often the assumption that blocks families from applying—they think their parent has to have a service-connected disability from active combat. They don't. The wartime service requirement means your parent served during one of the designated wartime periods: World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, or certain other periods. If your parent served in the military at any point during these periods, they probably meet this requirement. Active combat isn't necessary.

Your parent needs to have either a service-connected disability that's rated at a particular level or non-service-connected status combined with age and income criteria. If your parent has a condition rated by the VA as service-connected at 50% disability or higher, they can apply for Aid and Attendance based on that rating. If your parent doesn't have a service-connected disability or has one rated lower than 50%, they can still apply if they're age sixty-five or older with limited income and assets.

Here's where many families mistakenly eliminate their parent: income and assets limits. The asset limit is higher than you might expect. Your parent can own their home and it doesn't count against the limit. Your parent can have a vehicle and it doesn't count. The limits are on liquid assets,savings, investments, things easily converted to money. For non-service-connected pension benefits, the asset limit is currently around eighty thousand dollars for a veteran without a spouse, and one hundred twenty thousand dollars for a veteran with a spouse. These limits increase periodically.

Income limits are calculated with a significant deduction for medical expenses. If your parent is paying for care, those payments are deducted from their countable income. If your parent is paying out of pocket for medications, therapy, medical equipment, those are deducted. This means your parent might have total income above the limit but countable income below the limit once medical expenses are deducted. Many families don't realize this and incorrectly conclude their parent doesn't qualify.

The surviving spouse of a veteran also qualifies if the veteran died while in service or on active duty, or if the veteran would have been eligible for the benefit. The surviving spouse of a non-service-connected veteran who's sixty-five and meets income and asset requirements can apply for a surviving spouse pension.

Unmarried children of a veteran sometimes qualify, but the requirements are more restrictive. An adult child doesn't qualify, but a child under age eighteen or a child eighteen to twenty-three in school can be eligible in some cases. This is less common than veteran or surviving spouse eligibility.

The Actual Application Process

Start by figuring out whether your parent probably qualifies. If your parent served during wartime and is getting older, there's a reasonable chance they qualify. If your parent's assets are mostly in their home and their income is relatively modest, the income and asset limits probably aren't an issue. These quick checks don't constitute a formal eligibility review, but they can help you decide whether it's worth pursuing.

The application itself starts with VA Form 21-0535 or 21-0534, depending on your parent's situation. These are the Application for Pension or Application for Disability Compensation or Pension forms. Sounds complicated, but they're basically asking for your parent's military service information, current medical information, financial information, and explanation of why your parent needs the benefit.

You can fill out these forms yourself or work with a representative. The VA allows certain organizations to represent claimants, and some of these organizations don't charge fees. Some do charge fees, though there are limits on what they can charge. Vietnam veterans organizations, disabled American veterans organizations, and others often help with applications at no cost. These organizations understand the process and can help present your parent's case effectively.

The medical documentation is important. Your parent needs a doctor who can thoroughly document their condition and limitations. The doctor should describe what your parent can and cannot do without help. Can your parent bathe themselves? Can they dress themselves? Do they need someone to remind them to take medications? Do they need someone to help them walk safely? The more specific the documentation, the stronger the application.

Submit the application with all required documentation to the VA. They'll send confirmation of receipt. Then there's a waiting period. Processing times vary, but it's typically several months. You can check the status of your application online through the VA portal or by calling the VA.

During processing, the VA might request additional information. They might order a Compensation and Pension examination, which is an exam conducted by a VA contractor to confirm your parent's medical condition. This exam confirms what your parent and your parent's doctor have said about their condition.

Once a decision is made, you'll receive a letter explaining the outcome. If your parent's application is approved, you'll get information about the benefit amount and how payments will be made. If the application is denied, the letter will explain why. Many denied applications can be appealed, and the VA provides information about the appeals process.

Making This Work for Your Family

Filing for Aid and Attendance should happen early, ideally before your parent is in crisis. If your parent will eventually need care, filing while they're still healthy enough to be evaluated is easier than trying to file once they're already declining. Early filing also means if the benefit is approved, it's available when you need it rather than months into your parent's care situation.

Understanding what documents you need makes the process faster. Your parent's discharge papers (DD214) are required. Your parent's medical records should be available. Financial information,bank statements, proof of income, information about assets,needs to be gathered. Organizing these ahead of time makes the application smooth.

Don't assume your parent's income disqualifies them. Run the numbers carefully. If your parent is paying three thousand dollars a month for care, that's three thousand dollars a month deducted from their countable income for purposes of the benefit. Many people in care cost their way into eligibility. If your parent wasn't eligible at first, they might be eligible once care costs are factored in.

If your parent is denied, understand why. The denial letter will explain the reason. Some denials are because the medical documentation wasn't sufficient. Submitting more detailed medical documentation and reapplying often succeeds where the first application didn't. Some denials are based on a misunderstanding of your parent's financial situation. Clarifying assets or explaining medical expenses can change the outcome.

Consider the timing of care decisions. If your parent is borderline for Aid and Attendance eligibility, the decision about what care option to choose might affect whether they qualify. Higher-cost care options that count as medical expenses might push them into eligibility. This isn't reason enough to choose expensive care, but it's worth understanding.

Track the benefit as your parent's situation changes. If your parent's income changes, the benefit amount might change. If your parent's assets increase because of an inheritance, their eligibility might change. If your parent's medical condition improves, their rating might change. Check in periodically to make sure the VA has current information.

The Money Impact

Three thousand dollars a month is substantial. If your parent's care costs six thousand dollars a month and your parent has personal income of one thousand dollars from Social Security, Aid and Attendance of three thousand dollars gets your parent to four thousand dollars before tapping savings. That's a different financial picture than if your parent is paying six thousand out of pocket and burning through savings at a rate that depletes them in five years.

The benefit isn't perfect. It's not available to all veterans or all aging people. It requires paperwork and waiting and the possibility of denial. But for families who qualify, it can be the difference between your parent staying somewhere they want to stay and being forced to move because the money runs out. It can be the difference between your parent's resources lasting three years and lasting six.

Many veterans and surviving spouses have earned this benefit through their service. They don't think of themselves as needing assistance, and they don't think about military benefits. But their service matters. They served their country. They're entitled to the benefits they earned. If this sounds like your parent's situation, the time to investigate is now. Even if your parent isn't immediately needing care, understanding what's available when the time comes matters. It's a conversation worth having and a benefit worth pursuing.

How To Help Your Elders is an educational resource. We do not provide medical, legal, or financial advice. The information in this article is general in nature and may not apply to your specific situation. If you are concerned about a loved one's cognitive health or safety, consult with their healthcare provider or contact your local Area Agency on Aging for guidance and support.