VA benefits for senior care in Illinois can cover far more than most families realize: home-based medical care, nursing homes, and monthly Aid and Attendance payments. If your loved one is a veteran, the hard part usually isn't qualifying. It's knowing what to ask for.

In This Guide

VA Senior Care Benefits in Illinois: Long-Term Care Programs

The VA offers multiple long-term care programs. Access isn't automatic once a veteran is enrolled: VA also has to conclude the veteran needs that specific service for their ongoing treatment and personal care, and the service, or a space in the care setting, has to be available near them. That list isn't closed, either. VA says it may also consider other factors, like the veteran's service-connected disability status or insurance coverage.

Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)

A VA doctor-led health care team provides services such as nursing care, physical therapy, and help with daily tasks in the veteran's home. It's meant for veterans with ongoing illnesses who usually struggle to make clinic visits, though being homebound isn't required. All enrolled veterans with the clinical need are eligible where a program is available, and a copay may apply, so ask the VA social worker to complete VA Form 10-10EC.

Adult Day Health Care

Veterans attend a daytime program that provides social activities, companionship, recreation, care, and support. VA also counts a day at an adult day health care program as one form of home respite, so the same program can give a family caregiver a break.

Community Living Centers (VA Nursing Homes)

Community Living Centers are VA nursing centers designed to feel like home, providing nursing-home-level care.

A short respite stay in a CLC is also one of the VA's formal respite options, so a CLC can serve a veteran who needs ongoing nursing care and a family that needs a temporary break.

Community Nursing Home Program

The VA contracts with community (non-VA) nursing homes so veterans can get nursing home care near home. The placement isn't automatically free. There's no copay for the first 21 days of extended care in a 12-month period; from the 22nd day VA sets the copay from the level of care and the finances reported on VA Form 10-10EC, and some veterans are exempt because of their disability rating, income, or special eligibility factors.

Respite Care

All enrolled veterans are eligible for VA respite care if they meet the clinical criteria and it is available, but respite from a community agency, adult day health care center, or nursing home also requires community care eligibility, and VA may charge a copay. Respite can be Home Respite Care (a substitute caregiver at home, or an adult day health care program) or Nursing Home Respite Care (a short stay in a VA Community Living Center or community nursing home). VA's 2026 copay page lists both overnight and daily respite care as available up to 30 days each calendar year.

The first 21 days of extended care in any 12-month period carry no copay, and some veterans, including those with a compensable service-connected disability, are exempt; after that the regulation sets up to $97 a day for institutional respite and $15 for non-institutional respite. Confirm the amount through VA Form 10-10EC before booking a long stay.

The VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC) is a separate track: its eligible Primary Family Caregivers receive at least 30 days of respite care per year. For other veterans, 30 days a calendar year is the most VA lists for each type. The VA Caregiver Support Line, 1-855-260-3274, takes calls Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time; it isn't a crisis line.

Not sure which VA program fits your family's situation? Chat with Brevy to get a personalized recommendation.

Illinois Veterans' Homes

The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) operates five state-run Illinois Veterans' Homes, in Anna, Chicago, LaSalle, Manteno, and Quincy. These homes offer affordable long-term care to aged and disabled veterans. On spouses, IDVA's own Homes page says two different things (one passage names only the Anna and Quincy homes, another describes eligible spouses across all five), so ask the Home you're applying to.

To be admitted, a veteran needs an honorable discharge, a qualifying service route such as wartime service, an Illinois connection (entered the service from Illinois or lived here for the year before applying), and a disability that prevents earning a living. The Home also has to be able to provide the care needed and have a bed open; otherwise accepted applicants join a first-come, first-served waiting list.

Location Notable Details
Anna 24/7 skilled nursing plus independent domiciliary living program
Chicago Newest home; welcomed its first residents in January 2022; 200 private rooms with baths
LaSalle 24/7 skilled nursing care
Manteno 24/7 skilled nursing care
Quincy 24/7 skilled nursing plus independent domiciliary living program

Services range from the independent domiciliary living program in Anna and Quincy, which offers minimal support for veterans who can live more independently, to 24/7 skilled nursing care in all five locations for veterans with significant clinical needs. The Chicago home sits on the city's northwest side at 4250 N. Oak Park Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60634, and accommodates veterans seeking skilled nursing and memory care. Staff at each Home can answer admission questions and advise veterans and families in making the best choice possible.

VA Aid and Attendance

The Aid and Attendance pension is a monthly cash benefit for veterans (or surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities.

2026 Rates

VA publishes these rates as annual maximums, effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. Each figure is a ceiling, not a payment: VA pays the difference between the claimant's income for VA purposes and that limit, so a household with countable income is awarded less than the maximum. Pension is paid monthly, and the rule for getting there is set by regulation: VA subtracts countable income from the annual ceiling, divides what's left by 12, and rounds down to the whole dollar.

Category Maximum per year
Veteran alone Up to $29,093
Veteran with one dependent, such as a spouse Up to $34,488
Surviving spouse with no dependents Up to $18,697

Who Qualifies

To be eligible, the veteran must not have a dishonorable discharge, and must:

  • Meet the wartime service test, which is keyed to when the veteran entered active duty: someone who started active duty before September 8, 1980 needs at least 90 days of active duty with at least 1 day during a wartime period; someone who started active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980 generally needs at least 24 months, or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty, with at least 1 day during wartime; and an officer who started active duty after October 16, 1981, and had not previously served on active duty for at least 24 months, meets the test on that basis
  • Meet at least one of four alternatives, any one of which satisfies this part of the test: be at least 65 years old; 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. A wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI qualifies here without any adjudicated disability rating
  • Meet the need-for-aid-and-attendance test at 38 CFR 3.352(a), which covers things like being unable to dress or undress, keep clean and presentable, feed oneself, or attend to the wants of nature, or needing regular care to stay safe from hazards in daily surroundings; or be bedridden; or be a patient in a nursing home due to the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability; or have eyesight of 5/200 or less in both eyes, or a visual field contracted to 5 degrees or less
  • Have a net worth below $163,699 for 2026. VA counts the veteran's and their dependents' assets and annual income together against that limit, excluding the primary residence and a vehicle, so comparing assets alone against $163,699 gives the wrong answer

The VA enforces a 3-year (36-month) look-back period on asset transfers made for less than fair market value, with a penalty period that can run up to five years. If the veteran's countable net worth sits above $163,699, that look-back means you generally can't fix it by quickly giving assets away, so talk to an elder law attorney about compliant planning before you apply.

How to Apply

Everyone starts with VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), whose examination information section a medical examiner must fill out. That form covers aid and attendance added to either monthly compensation or pension benefits, so which second form you need depends on which of the two the veteran is claiming against.

The steps below are the pension route, which is the one VA describes when it says you may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension. On that route, a wartime veteran who isn't already receiving a VA pension also files Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension). If the veteran gets VA disability compensation instead, ask an accredited service officer which route fits before you file. You can file online at VA.gov, by mail to the VA Pension Intake Center, or in person at a VA regional office. Asked 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.

Don't do this alone. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs staffs offices across the state with Veteran Service Officers trained and accredited by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, who help veterans and their dependents and survivors apply for federal and state benefits and provide resources related to compensation and pension, free of charge.

If a pension claim is denied, you don't have to start over from scratch. VA offers three decision reviews: a Supplemental Claim with new and relevant evidence, a Higher-Level Review of the same evidence, or an appeal to the Board of Veterans' Appeals. For most benefits, a Higher-Level Review or Board Appeal has to be requested within 1 year of the date on the decision letter, and the letter states the deadline. An accredited VSO representative's help with a VA claim is always free.

For the full application walkthrough, see our VA Aid and Attendance guide.

Aid and Attendance isn't the only benefit worth claiming if the veteran owns their home. Under 35 ILCS 200/15-169, Illinois reduces the equalized assessed value of the primary residence of a veteran with a service-connected disability rating of at least 30%, on a sliding scale tied to that rating. It is a state benefit claimed at your local assessment office rather than through the VA, and our guide to the Illinois disabled veteran property tax exemption explains who can claim it and how to file. For the other Illinois benefits a service-connected rating can open, see our guide to Illinois benefits for disabled veterans by VA rating.

Veteran-Directed Care

Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) is a VA home and community based services program that gives an enrolled veteran of any age a flexible budget, managed by the veteran or their representative, to hire and supervise their own workers so they can keep living at home or in their community. Veterans may hire family, friends, and/or neighbors to provide the services.

VA medical centers deliver VDC through aging and disability network agencies, such as Area Agencies on Aging, aging and disability resource centers, and centers for independent living. Through an options counselor, the agency assesses the veteran's needs, plans the care and services, arranges fiscal management services, and keeps counseling and supporting the veteran. All enrolled veterans are eligible for VDC if they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria for the service, and it is available in their area. Ask your VA medical center's social work team whether a VDC program serves your area, and who can be hired and paid in your case.

When VA Wait Times Are Too Long: Community Care

The MISSION Act (2018) expanded when veterans can receive care from community (non-VA) providers at VA's expense. Two requirements always apply: the veteran has to be enrolled in (or eligible for) VA health care, and has to get approval from their VA health care team before seeing a community provider, except in certain cases such as urgent or emergency care. Beyond that, at least one of six conditions has to be true. The ones most families meet:

  • VA can't schedule an appointment that meets its access standards: a 30-minute average drive time or a 20-day wait for primary care, mental health care, and non-institutional extended care services, or a 60-minute average drive or 28-day wait for specialty care. Failing either the drive or the wait is enough
  • The veteran needs a service VA doesn't provide at any VA health facility
  • The veteran and their VA provider agree that an in-network community provider is in the veteran's best medical interest
  • VA can't provide the service in a way that meets its quality standards

The other two cover states without a full-service VA facility and some veterans grandfathered under the old 40-mile rule. Agreeing to a later appointment date removes the wait-time ground, and drive time is an average VA calculates, not your own trip.

On May 19, 2025, VA streamlined the best-medical-interest route by implementing the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (the "Dole Act"), which removed the extra review by a second VA doctor.

How VA Benefits Work with Medicare and Medicaid

VA benefits don't replace Medicare or Medicaid, nothing requires a veteran to enroll in Medicare to keep VA health care, and a veteran or surviving spouse can qualify for and receive VA pension and Medicaid at the same time., Generally, Medicare and the VA can't pay for the same items or services, so each time you get care you choose which benefit to use, and VA doesn't bill Medicare. "Generally" matters, though: if VA authorizes some but not all of the services during a stay in a non-VA hospital, Medicare may pay for the Medicare-covered services VA didn't authorize. VA coverage is also no shield against Medicare's Part B late-enrollment penalty. If you delay Part B and sign up later, say because you lose VA health care, the penalty grows each year you delayed and lasts for life.

  • VA + Medicare: Holding both is normal. Medicare pays for Medicare-covered items and services, and VA pays for VA-authorized items or services, whether at a VA or a non-VA facility. VA encourages veterans to sign up for Medicare as soon as they can, because VA funding could change and Medicare covers a trip to a non-VA hospital or doctor.
  • VA + Medicaid: Illinois Medicaid is run by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and uses a patient-liability model for nursing-home residents. In most states, VA aid and attendance and housebound allowances don't count as income when Medicaid decides who qualifies, but Illinois is one of 8 states that use stricter-than-SSI criteria and may count them, so Illinois's own rule governs. After eligibility, the federal rule for those states (42 CFR 435.733) and the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) manual both add income that was exempt or disregarded at eligibility back into what the resident owes, after deductions, in order, for personal needs (Illinois sets $60 a month for skilled nursing facility residents), a spouse or family at home, uncovered medical costs, and any SSI. So a full-rate Aid and Attendance amount disregarded at eligibility comes back in, though neither IDHS page names it specifically. If a veteran with no spouse and no child (or a surviving spouse with no child) is in a nursing facility under Medicaid, the VA pension drops to no more than $90 a month, the facility can't count it toward the cost of care, and the resident keeps it. So a single veteran's full Aid and Attendance won't be there for the bill, and IDHS deducts the $90 in place of the $60 allowance, not on top of it. The cap excludes a State veterans home for which VA pays a nursing-home per diem; there, a separate federal rule counts any pension above $90 a month, Aid and Attendance included, as income only to apply that excess to the home's cost of care., Check this, including any Illinois Veterans' Home stay, with HFS, IDHS, or an accredited Veteran Service Officer before relying on it.
  • Illinois Veterans' Homes: Residents with monthly income pay a monthly maintenance charge toward their care, based only on the veteran's and spouse's monthly income, not other assets, and being unable to contribute doesn't prevent admission. A resident who receives Aid and Attendance also pays an additional charge equal to that allowance, and veterans rated 70% to 100% service-connected pay no maintenance charge. IDVA publishes no dollar figure, so ask the Adjutant's office at any Home for the current cost of care.

How to Access VA Senior Care Benefits in Illinois

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Step 1

Confirm VA health care enrollment

If the veteran isn't already enrolled in VA health care, apply at va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply. Once enrolled, the veteran is assigned to 1 of 8 priority groups based on military service history, disability rating, income level, whether they qualify for Medicaid, and other benefits they receive, such as a VA pension.

2
Step 2

Get free help before you file

Don't file claims or applications alone. The Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs (IDVA) has VA-accredited Veteran Service Officers in offices across the state who help at no charge. Use IDVA's online VSO locator and call ahead, since not every service is offered at every location; if your county isn't listed, contact IDVA's main office, and remote help is available.

3
Step 3

Gather the veteran's records

You'll need the DD-214 (discharge papers), medical records documenting the need for care, and financial information. If you can't find the DD-214, the National Personnel Records Center can provide copies (request through va.gov).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to be service-connected disabled to get VA long-term care?

Not for most programs. VA's long-term care is open to veterans signed up for VA health care when VA concludes they need the specific service and it's available near them. A rating does affect cost: a veteran with a compensable service-connected disability owes no extended care copay, and for nursing home care, whether VA benefits help pay depends on income and the level of service-connected disability. Aid and Attendance doesn't require a service-connected disability at all. It requires wartime service, no dishonorable discharge, need for help with daily activities, and any one of four statuses: 65 or older, permanently and totally disabled, in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or receiving SSDI or SSI.

Can a veteran's spouse live in an Illinois Veterans' Home?

Possibly, but check with the Home itself. IDVA's Homes page is inconsistent: one passage says the Anna and Quincy homes offer care to qualifying spouses, while others describe care for veterans and their eligible spouses across all five. Staff at each Home can answer admission questions, so ask the Home you're applying to.

How long does it take to get Aid and Attendance approved?

The VA's own answer is "It depends." It processes claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. An accredited Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Veteran Service Officer can prepare and file the claim with you at no charge. If you're still gathering paperwork, VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) can secure the earliest possible effective date for any retroactive payments.

Does the VA pay for assisted living?

The VA's own long-term care programs include home-based primary care, adult day health care, Community Living Centers (VA nursing centers), community nursing homes, respite care, and Veteran-Directed Care. Aid and Attendance works differently: it is paid as an increase to a monthly VA pension rather than as a service the VA delivers, so a household can put that money toward an assisted living bill. VA itself groups assisted living facilities with medical foster homes as community residential care that it inspects and approves but does not run, staff, or pay for, though VA benefits may help pay for extra services there, such as visits from a VA provider. Veteran-Directed Care's budget is for hiring workers who help a veteran live at home or in their community.

Next Steps

If you're caring for a veteran who needs help, start by contacting the Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs through its Veteran Service Office locator. An accredited service officer can assess which benefits apply and help you file, at no charge.

Learn More

VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in IllinoisVA Aid and Attendance in Illinois for 2026: who qualifies, the $34,488 yearly maximum for a veteran with a spouse, how to apply, and free IDVA filing help. Care TypesHome Care vs Home Health in IllinoisHome care vs. home health in Illinois: home health is skilled, Medicare-covered care; home care is non-medical help Medicare won't pay for at home. Care TypesNursing Homes in IllinoisNursing homes in Illinois in 2026: what a skilled nursing facility costs, how to check a facility's quality, and how Medicaid pays for nursing-home care. Care TypesCost of Senior Care in IllinoisWhat senior care costs in Illinois in 2026: assisted living runs about $6,219 a month, a nursing home about $99,645 a year. See every setting and how to pay. Care TypesAssisted Living vs Nursing Homes in IllinoisAssisted living vs. a nursing home in Illinois turns on level of care and who pays: about $6,219/month private-pay vs. roughly $99,645/year for a nursing home. MedicareIllinois SHIP: Free Medicare CounselingThe Illinois Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) offers free Medicare counseling. See what counselors help with, how to book a meeting and find a local site.
Your next step Find personalized help navigating VA senior care benefits 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.

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