Your service earned this. Let's help you use it.
Aid & Attendance is a VA pension benefit that can help cover the cost of assisted living for wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. Below is how it works, what it takes to apply, and where to find free, accredited help along the way.
$2,424/mo
Single veteran, maximum
$2,874/mo
Veteran with a spouse or dependent
$1,558/mo
Surviving spouse, maximum
2026 maximum monthly rates, tax-free. Your actual amount depends on income, unreimbursed medical costs, and dependents.
What Aid & Attendance Actually Pays For
Aid & Attendance is an increase added to the VA's existing pension for wartime veterans and their surviving spouses. It's a needs-based benefit — it doesn't require a combat injury or a service-connected disability, only wartime service and a demonstrated need for regular help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, or eating, or residence in an assisted living or nursing facility.
Because it's paid as monthly income directly to the veteran or spouse, rather than sent to a facility, it can go toward the cost of assisted living, memory care, in-home care, or skilled nursing — whichever fits the person's situation. In many cases, the cost of that care is exactly what makes someone financially eligible in the first place: the VA counts unreimbursed medical expenses, including assisted living costs, against income when it calculates the benefit.
Who Generally Qualifies
The VA reviews every claim individually, but most applicants meet these four conditions.
- Served on active duty during a wartime period with a qualifying discharge, or is the surviving spouse of a veteran who did.
- Needs regular help with daily activities — or lives in an assisted living or nursing facility because of a medical need.
- Meets the VA's net worth limit — $163,699 in 2026, not counting a primary home.
- Has income that, after subtracting unreimbursed medical and care expenses, falls below the annual pension limit.
Six Steps to Applying
This is the general path most families follow. A Veteran Service Officer (step five) can take over most of the paperwork at no charge.
- Gather the basics: discharge papers (DD-214), a marriage certificate if applying as a spouse, and a current summary of income and assets.
- Get a physician's statement: A doctor completes VA Form 21-2680 to confirm the need for regular aid and attendance or housebound care.
- Document the cost of care: We can provide a statement of your care level and monthly costs — this is often what pushes an application from "maybe" to "approved."
- File the pension claim: Veterans use VA Form 21P-527EZ; surviving spouses use 21P-534EZ. File the Aid & Attendance paperwork alongside it.
- Bring in an accredited representative: A Veterans Service Officer from a group like the VFW, DAV, or American Legion can prepare and file the claim for free.
- Track the claim: Check the status anytime at VA.gov or call the VA benefits hotline below.
Resources that can help you research and apply
These organizations offer free, accredited guidance—none charge a fee to help with a claim.
VA Benefits Hotline: Claim status, forms, and general questions about pension and Aid & Attendance. Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–9 p.m. ET.
1-800-827-1000
Find a Veterans Service Officer: The VA's directory of accredited representatives by state — free help preparing and filing a claim.
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW): The National Veterans Service program offers claims assistance through local posts nationwide.
Disabled American Veterans (DAV): Free claims filing and appeals support, regardless of DAV membership.
The American Legion: Accredited service officers in every state, plus help locating county and state veteran affairs offices.
Eldercare Locator: A federal service connecting families to local aging and long-term care resources, including benefits counseling.
1-800-677-1116
Ready to talk it through?
Our veteran benefits liaison can walk you through the paperwork, connect you with a Veteran Service Officer, or answer questions about what your family might qualify for—no obligation.
