Veterans Aid and Attendance
Attention Veterans or the Surviving Spouse of a Veteran:
You may qualify for assistance to help cover the costs of assisted living. If you are a United States veteran or surviving spouse of a veteran, you may qualify for the Aid & Attendance Program and receive monthly benefits to help cover the costs of assisted living care. This benefit is not dependent upon service-related injuries for compensation. It allows for Veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in day-today activities to receive additional monetary compensation and care in an assisted living facility also qualifies. Additionally this is a tax-free benefit that most veterans needing assistance qualify for.
For detailed information strait from the VA, please visit
What is the Aid & Attendance Benefit?
Aid & Attendance is a Federal benefit that was added onto a need-based pension offered through The Department of Veteran Affairs. It provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who need assistance with their activities of daily living and meet specific requirements. Care provided in an assisting living facility qualifies.
Am I eligible for VA Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits as a Veteran or survivor?
VA Aid and Attendance eligibility
You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least one of these requirements.
At least one of these must be true:
- You need another person to help you perform daily activities, like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or
- You have to stay in bed—or spend a large portion of the day in bed—because of illness, or
- You are a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or
- Your eyesight is limited (even with glasses or contact lenses you have only 5/200 or less in both eyes; or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less)
Housebound benefits eligibility
You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you spend most of your time in your home because of a permanent disability (a disability that doesn’t go away).
Note: You can’t get Aid and Attendance benefits and Housebound benefits at the same time.
Periods of wartime are:
- Mexican Border period (May 9, 1916, to April 5, 1917, for Veterans who served in Mexico, on its borders, or in adjacent waters)
- World War I (April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918)
- World War II (December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946)
- Korean conflict (June 27, 1950, to January 31, 1955)
- Vietnam War era (November 1, 1955, to May 7, 1975, for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during that period. August 5, 1964, to May 7, 1975, for Veterans who served outside the Republic of Vietnam.)
- Gulf War (August 2, 1990, through a future date to be set by law or presidential proclamation)
* Please contact the VA to verify current Aid and Attendance information.
