VA Aid and Attendance is a monthly payment that helps a wartime veteran or surviving spouse afford the care they need. It works in any setting, whether that care happens at home, in assisted living, in memory care, or in a nursing home. It is an increase to the VA pension for people who need help with everyday activities, and in 2026 it can add up to $2,424 a month for a veteran, or $1,558 for a surviving spouse. The part that surprises most families is how it qualifies you: the cost of care itself is what often makes the benefit possible.

This guide explains what Aid and Attendance is, how the medical-expense rule works, how much it pays in 2026, who qualifies, what it can pay for, and how to apply.

In This Guide

What Is VA Aid and Attendance?

Aid and Attendance is not a separate program you apply to on its own. It is an increased monthly amount added to the VA Pension for a veteran or surviving spouse who needs another person's help with everyday activities, or who is otherwise housebound by disability. Because it is built on the Veterans Pension program, it carries that program's wartime-service and needs-based rules, but it does not require a service-connected disability. A veteran whose disability has nothing to do with their service can still qualify.

The benefit is paid as cash to the beneficiary every month. The VA does not pay a care facility directly; instead, the money goes to the veteran or surviving spouse, who can use it toward the cost of care in whatever setting they live.

How the Benefit Works

This is the part families most often misunderstand, so it's worth slowing down on.

VA Pension, including its Aid and Attendance increase, is a needs-based benefit. The VA pays the difference between your countable income and the applicable Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR, set by Congress. If your countable income is low, the VA pays you more; if it's high, the VA pays you less or nothing. The whole benefit turns on your countable income, not your gross income.

Here is the key. You are allowed to lower your countable income by deducting continuing, unreimbursed medical expenses, often called UMEs. The cost of care, whether a home health aide, assisted living, memory care, or a nursing home, can count as a UME. That deduction is what makes a veteran whose income looks too high on paper actually qualify, because once a large recurring care cost is subtracted, countable income can drop sharply or fall to zero.

The 5% rule

There is an important limit. You cannot deduct every dollar of medical expense. Only the portion of your UMEs that exceeds 5% of the applicable MAPR is deductible. For 2026, that 5% threshold is $872 for a veteran with no dependents (5% of the $17,441 MAPR) and $1,141 for a veteran with one dependent (5% of the $22,839 MAPR). The floor scales with the veteran's own MAPR category. In plain terms, the first several hundred dollars of medical expense each year don't count toward the deduction; everything above that floor does.

Deductible expenses go well beyond facility bills. They include care by health care providers, prescription and non-prescription medications, medically necessary supplies, and health insurance premiums such as Medicare Parts A, B, and D and long-term care insurance. Because care costs are large and recurring, they usually clear the 5% floor easily, leaving most of the cost available as a deduction.

2026 Aid and Attendance Amounts

These are the maximum monthly Aid and Attendance pension amounts for the rate period running December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. The actual amount paid is the maximum minus your countable income, which is why the medical-expense deduction above matters so much.

Category Maximum Monthly Amount
Veteran alone Up to $2,424
Veteran with spouse Up to $2,874
Surviving spouse Up to $1,558

These figures are set by Congress and adjusted each year with the cost-of-living increase, typically around December 1. If you're reading this later in the benefit year, the numbers above still apply through November 30, 2026.

Who Qualifies

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, the veteran must meet the Veterans Pension requirements and the additional aid-and-attendance need. The veteran must:

  • Have wartime service. At least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period (WWII, Korea, Vietnam, or the Gulf War / post-9/11 era). Gulf War service requires 24 months of continuous active duty or the full period called to active duty.
  • Be 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled.
  • Need help with daily activities. This includes needing help with tasks like bathing, dressing, or feeding oneself; being bedridden; being a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity; or having severely limited eyesight.
  • Have net worth under $163,699 (2026). Net worth combines assets and annual income, but excludes the primary home, vehicles, and basic household items.

A surviving spouse of a wartime veteran can qualify on the same needs-based and net-worth terms. The VA also applies a 3-year look-back period on assets transferred for less than fair market value before filing, with a penalty period that can run up to five years. If you've recently given away assets or set up a trust, talk to an accredited representative before applying.

What Aid and Attendance Can Pay For

Because Aid and Attendance is paid as cash, it can go toward the cost of care in any setting. The mechanics are slightly different depending on where care happens, so we've written a dedicated guide for each:

  • Assisted living: how care costs in a residential facility count as a deductible expense.
  • Memory care: why a dementia diagnosis so often meets the need standard.
  • Nursing home: including the federal rule that caps the pension at $90 a month once Medicaid covers nursing facility care for a single veteran.
  • In-home care: paying a home health aide, and the separate Veteran-Directed Care program for compensating a family caregiver.

For state-specific cost figures and local application help, Brevy also has an Aid and Attendance guide for each of the 50 states.

Not sure which setting applies or whether you'd qualify? Chat with Brevy for a quick eligibility check.

How to Apply

You apply for Aid and Attendance with two forms:

  1. VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance). A doctor completes this to document the need for assistance.
  2. VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension), if you're not already receiving VA pension.

You can submit the forms online at va.gov, by mail, or through an accredited representative. To find an accredited claims agent or attorney, use the VA's search tools or contact a Veterans Service Organization. Processing times vary, and in practice claims often take three to six months or longer. You can apply while your loved one is already receiving care.

Ready to start an application? Chat with Brevy's care navigator to get organized.

Frequently Asked Questions

The basic Veterans Pension is the underlying needs-based benefit. Aid and Attendance is an increase on top of it for someone who needs the regular help of another person with daily activities, which raises the maximum amount the VA will pay. There is also a separate, smaller increase called Housebound for those confined to the home; a person receives Aid and Attendance or Housebound, not both.

No. Aid and Attendance is built on the Veterans Pension, which is needs-based, so the disability or need for care does not have to be related to military service. The requirements are wartime service, age 65+ or permanent disability, a need for help with daily activities, and net worth under the limit.

Often, yes. Pension is based on countable income, and continuing unreimbursed medical expenses (including care costs) reduce that countable income, but only the portion above 5% of your applicable MAPR is deductible. Because care costs are large, they can substantially reduce or even zero out countable income, which can make a veteran who looked ineligible on paper qualify.

The maximum monthly amount is up to $2,424 for a veteran alone, up to $2,874 for a veteran with a spouse, and up to $1,558 for a surviving spouse. The amount you actually receive is the maximum minus your countable income.

Learn More

Related Brevy guides:

Find personalized help with VA Aid and Attendance at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.

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Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.