Long-term care in Connecticut is among the most expensive in the country, and VA Aid and Attendance raises the VA pension of a wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs daily help., It's an increased monthly pension payment for someone who needs another person's help with activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing. And when that help comes from a paid in-home attendant, what you pay can count as a medical expense that lowers the income the VA counts.

This guide explains what in-home care costs in Connecticut, how much Aid and Attendance pays, who qualifies, and how the benefit works alongside HUSKY Health, the state's Medicaid program.

In This Guide

How Much In-Home Care Costs in Connecticut

According to the CareScout 2025 Cost of Care Survey, a non-medical caregiver in Connecticut costs a median of $36 an hour, 23rd among the states. At 44 hours a week for 52 weeks, that comes to about $82,368 per year (roughly $6,864 per month). The 2025 survey merged the former homemaker and home health aide categories into a single non-medical caregiver line. Connecticut ranks higher on facility care: a semi-private nursing home room, 5th highest among the states, runs $500 a day, or about $182,500 a year, against a national median of $114,975.

These are survey medians, and costs vary within the state. The annual figure assumes full-time hours, so a family that uses less care pays less.

How Aid and Attendance Helps Pay for In-Home Care in Connecticut

Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities.,

The VA publishes its pension rates as annual figures, but pays pension monthly: under 38 CFR 3.273, the monthly rate is the annual rate minus your countable income, divided by 12, and 38 CFR 3.29(b) rounds that result down to the nearest whole dollar. The maximum annual pension rate (MAPR) is a ceiling, not a set payment: the VA bases the payment amount on the difference between your income for VA purposes and that limit, so the award can be less than the figures below.

Category Maximum Annual Rate
Veteran, no dependents $29,093
Veteran with one dependent (spouse or child) $34,488
Surviving spouse, no dependents $18,697

Even the full Aid and Attendance rate, $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents or $34,488 for a veteran with one dependent, is well below the roughly $82,368 a year that a full-time non-medical caregiver costs in Connecticut.,

How In-Home Care Costs Lower Your Countable Income

VA pension, including the Aid and Attendance increase, is a needs-based benefit: to be eligible, your yearly family income and net worth have to meet limits set by Congress. Out-of-pocket care costs, such as paying a home health aide, can count as unreimbursed medical expenses (UMEs) that reduce the income the VA counts.

Only the portion of those expenses above 5% of the applicable maximum annual pension rate is deductible, counting any increase for family members but not the increase for aid and attendance or housebound status. For 2026 the VA gives that floor as $872 a year for a veteran with no spouse or child; it rises if you have dependents. So if a veteran with no spouse or child pays $82,368 a year for in-home care, nearly all of it can come off countable income once the first $872 is set aside, provided the care meets the VA's conditions for in-home attendants., For in-home attendant care, the attendant must provide health care or custodial care, the payments must be commensurate with the hours the attendant provides, and the attendant must be a health care provider unless the veteran needs aid and attendance or is housebound, or a physician, physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist states in writing that a physical, mental, developmental, or cognitive disorder makes that health or custodial care necessary.

Who Qualifies

To qualify for Aid and Attendance, a veteran generally must:

  • Not have received a dishonorable discharge
  • Meet the wartime service requirement, which the VA lists as three paths keyed to when active duty began: starting before September 8, 1980, at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period; starting as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980, at least 24 months or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions, the VA says), with at least one day during wartime; or starting as an officer after October 16, 1981, without having previously served on active duty for at least 24 months, with at least one day during wartime
  • Meet at least one of the VA's four age-or-disability tests: be 65 or older; have a permanent and total disability; be a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability; or be getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. Any one of the four is enough on its own, so a wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI meets this test on that basis alone
  • Need aid and attendance, meaning at least one of these is true: the veteran needs another person's help with daily activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing; has to stay in bed, or spend a large portion of the day in bed, because of illness; is a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability; or has limited eyesight, with only 5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contact lenses, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less. In judging the need for help, 38 CFR 3.352(a) separately weighs factors such as being unable to dress, keep clean, feed oneself, or attend to the wants of nature, or needing regular care to stay safe from hazards in daily surroundings
  • Have a net worth below $163,699 (the VA's net worth calculation combines the claimant's and their dependents' assets and income for VA purposes; the primary residence, a vehicle, and basic home items like appliances are excluded), The home's exclusion covers a residential lot of up to 2 acres, so marketable land beyond that counts as an asset, and the home stays excluded if the claimant moves into a nursing home

The VA applies a 3-year look-back: the 36 months before it receives the pension claim. Giving away or selling an asset for less than fair market value in that window can trigger a penalty period of up to 5 years if the asset, had it been kept, would have caused or partially caused net worth to exceed the limit. For a surviving spouse, the Survivors Pension uses the same $163,699 net worth limit.

Paying a Family Caregiver for In-Home Care in Connecticut

Two VA rules matter when a relative provides the care. First, a relative's help doesn't cost the veteran the benefit: under 38 CFR 3.352(c), the fact that a relative or another member of the household provides the needed aid and attendance will not prevent the VA from granting the allowance.

Second, the Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) program gives the veteran a flexible budget, managed by the veteran or their representative, to hire and supervise their own workers. Enrolled veterans may hire family, friends, or neighbors to provide services. VA medical centers deliver VDC through local aging and disability network agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging, where an options counselor helps plan services, arranges fiscal management services, and offers ongoing support. Any enrolled veteran is eligible if they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria, and the program is available in their area. Because VA medical centers deliver VDC and it isn't available everywhere, ask your VA medical center whether it's offered near you.

How Aid and Attendance Works with Connecticut Medicaid

For Connecticut seniors who need long-term care, VA Aid and Attendance can interact with Medicaid (HUSKY Health, administered by the Connecticut Department of Social Services); long-term-care Medicaid for aged, blind, and disabled residents is HUSKY C. Under general federal rules, a veteran's basic VA pension is counted as income, but the portion attributable to unreimbursed medical expenses, including the Aid and Attendance increment paid to cover care, is generally treated as reimbursement for medical care rather than countable income, as long as those care expenses are actually being paid. That exclusion is a Medicaid rule rather than a VA one, and it applies at the eligibility step only. How much of an eligible nursing-facility resident's income goes toward the cost of care is decided separately, at the post-eligibility step. Connecticut is one of the 8 states SSA lists as using at least one eligibility rule more restrictive than SSI, so the federal post-eligibility section that reaches it is 42 CFR 435.733, which covers people in medical institutions and says income disregarded in determining eligibility must be considered in that process. How Connecticut treats a full-rate Aid and Attendance amount at that step isn't something we could confirm, so ask DSS in your case before assuming any figure. If a veteran later moves to a nursing home that Medicaid pays for, the VA check itself can shrink: for a veteran with no spouse or child, or a surviving spouse with no child, the most VA can pay for any month after the month of admission is $90, and that $90 is an aid and attendance allowance, not income. Connecticut's own Uniform Policy Manual (UPM 5035.20), for a long-term care facility resident with no spouse living in the community, then deducts a VA pension reduced to $90 from the income applied to the monthly cost of care, on top of the ordinary personal needs allowance. The cap doesn't reach someone cared for at home or a veteran with a spouse or child, and a stay in a State Veterans Home may fall outside it, so check your situation with an accredited Veteran Service Officer.

Connecticut's own rule governs at the eligibility step. It is one of only eight states that elected the more restrictive 209(b) option, so Connecticut's eligibility rule governs there and may differ from the SSI rule described above. Ask DSS how it treats the Aid and Attendance amount before relying on any of this.

Because the precise treatment depends on the program (HUSKY C income limits, the medically-needy spend-down, and how DSS counts each component) and on your circumstances, confirm with Connecticut DSS or an accredited representative before relying on any specific outcome.

How to Apply and Get Free Help

To apply for Aid and Attendance, submit VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), with the examination information section filled out by a medical examiner documenting the need for help. That form covers Aid and Attendance that will be added to either your monthly pension or your monthly compensation. The steps that follow are the pension route, the one this guide covers: the VA says you may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension and you meet at least one of its need-for-aid requirements. So a wartime veteran pursuing the pension route who is not already receiving a VA pension also files VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension). On that route, Aid and Attendance takes the form of a higher maximum annual pension rate that replaces the basic rate, not a second payment on top of it. Report what you pay for in-home care on VA Form 21P-8416 (Medical Expense Report), which covers medical expenses you paid for yourself or a family member in your household and weren't, and don't expect to be, reimbursed for. If you are still gathering information, you can file VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) first, because the VA says submitting an intent to file can secure the earliest possible effective date for any retroactive payments you may be eligible to receive. You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail to the VA Pension Intake Center, or in person at a VA regional office. On how long a decision takes, the VA's answer is "It depends." It processes claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing.

You don't have to file alone. The Connecticut Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Advocacy and Assistance staffs accredited Veteran Service Officers who represent veterans on U.S. VA claims and help Connecticut veterans apply for Veterans Pension and Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits; the VA says a VSO representative's services on a VA benefit claim are always free, while an accredited attorney or claims agent can charge fees. CT DVA runs district offices plus a Veteran Services Support Center at 196 West Street, Rocky Hill, Connecticut 06067; the office's page is portal.ct.gov/dva/advocacy-and-assistance. Connecticut's Municipal Veterans Representative Program, directed by Connecticut General Statutes section 27-135, gives veterans an initial point of contact in each municipality.

If your claim is denied. If the VA denies the claim or decides it for less than you expected, you have three review options: a Supplemental Claim (file new and relevant evidence the VA didn't have when it reviewed the case before), a Higher-Level Review (a higher-level reviewer looks at the case, with no new evidence submitted), or a Board Appeal, where a Veterans Law Judge at the Board of Veterans' Appeals reviews the case. Those three are an election, not a list to work through: you choose one, and while that review is pending final adjudication you can't file under a different option (38 CFR 3.2500(b)), so decide which one fits before you file. The menu narrows as you go: after a Higher-Level Review decision your options are a Supplemental Claim or a Board Appeal, and after a Board decision they are a Supplemental Claim or an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, which must be filed within 120 days of the date on the Board's decision letter. That appeal is filed with the Court, not with the VA. A notice of appeal that is properly addressed to the Court and mailed is treated as received on the date of its U.S. Postal Service postmark rather than the date it arrives, provided the postmark is legible. A Higher-Level Review or a Board Appeal must generally be elected within one year of the date on the decision letter for the decision you want reviewed; the rule has narrow exceptions, such as a contested claim where several people claim a benefit only one can receive, which allows only a Board Appeal filed within 60 days. A Supplemental Claim can generally be filed at any time after that notice, but timing still matters: one received more than one year after the date on the decision notice takes an effective date no earlier than the day the VA receives it, unless the VA extends the one-year period for good cause, so filing late can cost you back pay. An accredited Veterans Service Organization representative can help you request a decision review. The CT DVA's accredited Veteran Service Officers represent Connecticut veterans on VA claims, and a VSO's services on a VA claim are always free.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Aid and Attendance to pay for a home health aide in Connecticut?

Paying an aide can raise the pension itself. The VA pays the maximum rate less your income for VA purposes. What you pay an in-home attendant can count as an unreimbursed medical expense that lowers that income, when the attendant provides health or custodial care, the payments match the hours worked, and the attendant is a health care provider or the veteran needs aid and attendance or is housebound (or a clinician certifies the need in writing). Even the full rate, $29,093 a year for a veteran with no dependents (or $34,488 with one dependent), is well below the roughly $82,368 a year a full-time non-medical caregiver costs in Connecticut.,

Does the VA provide the in-home care directly?

Not through Aid and Attendance, which is a monthly payment added to a VA pension rather than a care service. The VA's separate Veteran-Directed Care program, where it's available, gives an enrolled veteran who qualifies a flexible budget to hire and supervise their own workers at home, including family, friends, or neighbors.

Can my income be too high to qualify if I'm paying for care?

Not necessarily. Out-of-pocket in-home care can count as an unreimbursed medical expense that lowers the income the VA counts, but only the portion above the 5% floor, which the VA gives as $872 a year for a veteran with no spouse or child, is deductible. Those deductions come off the income the VA uses to set the payment, and off the income it adds to your assets for the $163,699 net worth test.

Can I get both Aid and Attendance and Connecticut Medicaid?

The two can overlap, and each affects the other. Federal rules generally keep the Aid and Attendance portion out of countable income at the Medicaid eligibility step while the care costs are being paid, though Connecticut, as a 209(b) state, applies its own eligibility rule. Once Medicaid pays a nursing facility for a veteran with no spouse or child, the VA pension is capped at $90 a month after the month of admission, though a State Veterans Home stay may fall outside that cap. Because the income treatment under HUSKY C depends on your circumstances, confirm with Connecticut DSS or an accredited representative.

What if my Aid and Attendance claim is denied?

After an initial decision you can file a Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence, ask for a Higher-Level Review with no new evidence, or appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. You elect one of the three, and while that review is pending final adjudication you can't file under a different option (38 CFR 3.2500(b)). A Higher-Level Review or a Board Appeal must generally be elected within one year of the date on the decision letter for the decision you want reviewed, with narrow exceptions such as contested claims. A Supplemental Claim can be filed at any time, but one received more than a year after the date on the decision notice takes an effective date no earlier than the day the VA receives it, absent a good-cause extension, so file inside the year to protect your back pay. An accredited VSO representative can help you request a decision review, and a VSO's services on a VA claim are always free.,

Compare Care Settings in Connecticut

See how Aid and Attendance works in other care settings in Connecticut:

Learn More

VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in ConnecticutVA Aid and Attendance in Connecticut for 2026: who qualifies, monthly rates up to $2,874, how to apply, and free accredited help from the Connecticut DVA. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Senior Care in ConnecticutConnecticut veterans may qualify for up to $2,874/month in Aid and Attendance, plus VA home care, Veteran-Directed Care, and the Rocky Hill veterans home. Care TypesHome Care vs Home Health in ConnecticutHome care vs. home health in Connecticut: see which one you need, who regulates each, and who pays, so you don't miss coverage Medicare or the state would give. VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Pays for In-Home CareHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for in-home care in 2026: the amounts, paying a family caregiver, Veteran-Directed Care, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Senior Care: A Complete GuideA complete guide to VA benefits for senior care: long-term care, Aid and Attendance, pensions, DIC, and home grants for older veterans and surviving spouses.
Your next step Find personalized help using VA benefits to pay for in-home care in Connecticut 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.

Still have questions?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

BC

Brevy Care Team

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