VA Aid and Attendance in Illinois is a federal pension benefit that adds money to a wartime veteran's monthly check when they need regular help with everyday tasks like bathing, dressing, or eating. For a veteran with a spouse, it can reach $2,874 a month ($34,488 a year) in 2026. It's one of the most underused VA benefits, and many Illinois veterans and surviving spouses who qualify never apply because they don't know it exists.
This guide walks through who qualifies, how much you can receive, how to apply, and where to get free help filing in Illinois, including from the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs and your county Veterans Assistance Commission.
In This Guide
- Key Takeaways
- What Is Aid and Attendance?
- Do You Qualify?
- 2026 Aid and Attendance Rates
- The Net Worth Limit and 3-Year Lookback
- How to Apply for VA Aid and Attendance in Illinois
- Free Help in Illinois: IDVA and County VACs
- How Aid and Attendance Works with Illinois Medicaid
- Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Aid and Attendance?
Aid and Attendance (A&A) is an enhanced VA pension benefit for wartime veterans and their surviving spouses who need help with everyday activities. It isn't a separate program. It's an extra amount added on top of the base VA pension when you need regular care.
You may qualify if you need help with daily activities such as:
- Bathing or showering
- Dressing and undressing
- Eating or preparing meals
- Using the toilet
- Adjusting prosthetic devices
- Protecting yourself from everyday hazards
You can also qualify if you're bedridden, spend a large part of the day in bed because of illness, live in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, or have severely limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes).
A&A is tax-free, and the money can go toward any purpose, including in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home costs. That flexibility is part of what makes it so useful for Illinois families piecing together long-term care.
Not sure whether your parent qualifies for Aid and Attendance? Check with Brevy's care navigator at brevy.com.
Do You Qualify?
To receive Aid and Attendance, you have to meet all four of these requirements.
1. Wartime service. The veteran must have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period. Qualifying periods include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War (which includes all post-9/11 service). Gulf War veterans need 24 months of continuous active duty, or the full period they were called up.
2. Age or disability. The veteran must be 65 or older, or permanently and totally disabled.
3. Need for assistance. The veteran or surviving spouse must need regular help with daily activities, be bedridden, be in a nursing home, or have severely limited eyesight as described above.
4. Net worth under $163,699. This is the 2026 limit. It counts your assets plus your annual income combined. Your primary home, one personal vehicle, and basic household items don't count.
Surviving spouses qualify too. If the veteran has passed away and the surviving spouse needs help with daily activities, they can apply for the Survivors Pension with Aid and Attendance, worth up to $1,558 a month in 2026.
2026 Aid and Attendance Rates
The VA calculates your payment as the difference between your countable income and the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) for your category. If your income is low enough, you receive the full amount. These rates are federal, so they're the same in Illinois as anywhere else.
| Category | Annual Rate | Monthly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran, no dependents | $29,093 | $2,424 |
| Veteran with spouse | $34,488 | $2,874 |
| Two veterans married to each other (both A&A) | $46,143 | $3,845 |
| Surviving spouse | $18,697 | $1,558 |
| Veteran, no dependents (Housebound) | $21,313 | $1,776 |
| Veteran, no dependents (basic pension) | $17,441 | $1,454 |
| Each additional child | +$2,984 | +$249 |
Here's how the math works. If a veteran with a spouse has $12,000 in annual countable income and qualifies for A&A, the VA pays the difference: $34,488 minus $12,000 leaves $22,488 a year, or about $1,874 a month. Out-of-pocket medical expenses, including what you pay for care, reduce your countable income, which raises your benefit.
The Net Worth Limit and 3-Year Lookback
The 2026 net worth limit is $163,699. This combines your assets (savings, investments, and property other than your home) with your annual income.
What counts: bank accounts, stocks, bonds, investment property, IRAs, and other financial assets, plus your annual income.
What doesn't count: your primary residence, one personal vehicle, and basic household goods. The house you live in doesn't push you over the limit, which matters for the many Illinois veterans who own their homes outright but live on a modest fixed income.
The 3-Year Lookback Rule
The VA reviews any assets you transferred for less than fair market value in the three years before you file your claim. If you gave away or sold assets below market value to get under the net worth limit, the VA may impose a penalty period of up to five years during which you won't receive pension benefits.
This rule exists to stop people from simply giving away savings to qualify. If you're thinking about transferring assets, talk to a VA-accredited attorney or an elder law attorney first. The penalty can be steep, so it's worth getting advice before you move money.
How to Apply for VA Aid and Attendance in Illinois
The application takes two forms and a medical exam.
Step #1: Get a medical examination. Your doctor fills out VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), documenting which daily activities you need help with and why. Be thorough. The more detail about specific limitations, the stronger the claim.
Step #2: Complete the pension application. If you're not already receiving VA pension, submit VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension), which covers your service history, income, net worth, and medical conditions.
Step #3: Submit everything. You can file online at va.gov, mail the forms, or file through an accredited representative such as an Illinois Veteran Service Officer. Filing online lets you save your progress and track the claim.
Step #4: Wait for a decision. The VA processes claims in the order received. Expect 3 to 6 months, sometimes longer. A complete application with strong medical documentation moves faster. Incomplete submissions are the most common reason for delays.
Documents to Gather First
- DD-214 (discharge papers) showing wartime service dates
- Medical records documenting the need for daily help
- Income documentation (Social Security and pension statements)
- Asset information (bank and investment statements)
- Marriage certificate, if claiming as a veteran with a spouse
- Death certificate, if applying as a surviving spouse
Free Help in Illinois: IDVA and County VACs
You don't have to file this claim alone, and you should never pay to file an initial VA claim. Free, accredited help is available across Illinois.
The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA)
The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs, known as IDVA, is the state agency that connects veterans and their families to the federal, state, and local benefits they earned. IDVA's Veteran Service Officers (VSOs) are trained and accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, and they help veterans find and apply for benefits, including VA compensation and pension claims like Aid and Attendance, at no charge. IDVA operates full-time and part-time Veteran Service Offices across the state, and you can locate the nearest one using IDVA's online VSO locator or by calling the department.
IDVA also runs five state-operated Illinois Veterans' Homes, located in Anna, Chicago, LaSalle, Manteno, and Quincy. The Chicago home, which serves veterans in the Cook County area, is the newest, having opened in 2022. The homes offer affordable long-term care to aged and disabled Illinois veterans, with services ranging from around-the-clock skilled nursing care (available at all five homes) to an independent domiciliary living program with minimal support (offered at the Anna and Quincy homes); eligible spouses can be served as well. For a veteran weighing assisted living or nursing care, an A&A award can help cover costs whether they stay at home or move into one of these homes.
County Veterans Assistance Commissions
Many Illinois counties operate Veterans Assistance Commissions (VACs), and some veterans service organizations have their own accredited service officers, all of which offer free claims help. A county VAC service officer can prepare and submit your claim, develop the evidence the VA needs, and represent you, all at no cost to you. Between IDVA's Veteran Service Offices and your county VAC, accredited help is within reach in most parts of the state.
A word of caution: be wary of companies that charge fees to help with VA claims. VA-accredited attorneys may charge for appeals, but the initial claim filing should be free through an IDVA Veteran Service Officer, your county Veterans Assistance Commission, or a Veterans Service Organization like the VFW, American Legion, or DAV.
Illinois's Veteran Population
Illinois is home to one of the largest veteran populations of any state, with hundreds of thousands of veterans living here, according to the VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics. With that many veterans, demand on service offices is real, so it's worth contacting one early rather than waiting until a care crisis forces the issue.
Need help finding a veterans service officer near you? Ask Brevy's care navigator at brevy.com.
How Aid and Attendance Works with Illinois Medicaid
Aid and Attendance and Illinois Medicaid are run separately, by different agencies and under different rules. A veteran can receive both at the same time, but the two count money differently, so a few points are worth understanding.
- Different agencies run each program. Illinois Medicaid is administered by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS), and the Illinois Department of Human Services determines Medicaid eligibility, while the federal VA decides your A&A claim.
- The two programs cover different things. A&A can pay for costs Medicaid often doesn't, such as room and board in assisted living, while Medicaid may cover the care services themselves and long-term nursing care.
- VA pension income affects what you owe toward care. For an Illinois nursing-home resident, Medicaid uses a patient-liability (applied-income) model: once you qualify, essentially all of your monthly income goes toward the cost of care, except for a personal needs allowance (set at $60 per month for skilled nursing facility residents), Medicare premiums, and any protected allowance for a community spouse.
- How A&A counts can be situation-specific. As a general federal rule, VA pension income is generally counted as income for Medicaid, but the portion of a VA pension that consists of Aid and Attendance paid for unreimbursed medical expenses may be treated differently and is often excluded from the income applied to the cost of care. Because this depends on your specific situation, confirm it with HFS, the Illinois Department of Human Services, or an accredited Veteran Service Officer before relying on it.
For the bigger picture of how to protect assets and income while qualifying for Medicaid long-term care, start with our guide to Medicaid planning strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
The maximum depends on your situation. A veteran alone gets up to $2,424 a month, a veteran with a spouse gets up to $2,874 a month, and a surviving spouse gets up to $1,558 a month. These are federal rates, identical in Illinois. Your actual payment is reduced by your countable income, and out-of-pocket medical expenses can lower that income and raise your benefit.
Contact an Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) Veteran Service Office or your county Veterans Assistance Commission. Their accredited staff prepare and submit VA claims for free, and you can find the nearest IDVA office using the department's online VSO locator. You should never pay to file an initial claim.
Yes. A veteran can receive both. VA pension income is generally counted for Medicaid, but the portion of Aid and Attendance paid for unreimbursed medical expenses may be treated differently and is often excluded from the income applied to your cost of care. Because this depends on your situation, confirm with HFS, the Illinois Department of Human Services, or an accredited Veteran Service Officer before applying.
Usually 3 to 6 months, though complex claims can take longer. The most common cause of delay is an incomplete application, so have your doctor be detailed on VA Form 21-2680 and submit all supporting documents at once.
Learn More
- Medicaid Planning Strategies
- Assisted Living in Illinois
- Nursing Homes in Illinois
- Memory Care in Illinois
- The Cost of Senior Care in Illinois
- Assisted Living vs. Nursing Homes in Illinois
Find personalized help applying for VA Aid and Attendance in Illinois 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.