A wartime veteran in New Hampshire who needs daily help with bathing, dressing, or eating can collect up to $2,874 a month in 2026 through a higher VA pension rate most families never claim. That benefit is VA Aid and Attendance, the same federal pension paid at a higher maximum when a veteran needs regular care, reaching $34,488 a year for a veteran with a spouse. Many New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire, including from the state's Division of Veterans Services.

In This Guide

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 the same VA pension paid at a higher maximum rate when you need regular care, so the Aid and Attendance figure sets the ceiling for the whole pension, not an amount added on top of the basic rate. That is the pension route, and it's what this guide covers. VA Form 21-2680 also covers Aid and Attendance that will be added to your monthly compensation, so a veteran who receives VA disability compensation rather than a VA pension applies on the compensation side instead.

You may qualify if you need help with daily activities such as:

  • Bathing or showering
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Eating
  • Using the toilet
  • Adjusting special prosthetic or orthopedic appliances
  • Protecting yourself from everyday hazards

You can also qualify if you're bedridden, live in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability, or have severely limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes, or a visual field contracted to 5 degrees or less).

A&A is paid as cash, 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 New Hampshire 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. How much service the VA requires depends on when the veteran started active duty. A veteran who started before September 8, 1980 needs at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period. A veteran who started as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980 generally needs at least 24 months of active duty, or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty, again with at least one day during wartime. A veteran who was an officer and started active duty after October 16, 1981 meets the service test if they hadn't previously served on active duty for at least 24 months. Recognized wartime periods include World War II (December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946), the Korean conflict (June 27, 1950 to January 31, 1955), the Vietnam War era, and the Gulf War (August 2, 1990 through a future date to be set by law or presidential proclamation).

2. Discharge, plus age or disability. The veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and at least one of these four must be true: they are at least 65 years old; they have a permanent and total disability; they are a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability; or they are getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. The nursing home and SSDI/SSI branches stand on their own, so a wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI meets this test without any permanent and total rating.

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. VA's calculation counts your and your dependents' assets plus your annual income combined. Your primary home, your car, and basic home items like appliances you wouldn't take with you if you moved 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. The VA publishes these ceilings as annual maximums; the monthly payment is that yearly amount divided by 12. These rates are federal, so they're the same in New Hampshire 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

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. VA's calculation combines your and your dependents' 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, your car, and basic home items. The house you live in doesn't push you over the limit, which matters for the many New Hampshire 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 New Hampshire

These steps are the pension route, the one the VA describes with "You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension." They take two forms and a medical exam, plus an optional third form that protects your effective date while you gather documents.

1
Step 1

File an intent to file, if you're still gathering information

Submitting VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) first "can secure the earliest possible effective date for any retroactive payments you may be eligible to receive," in the VA's words, and it covers disability, Veterans pension, survivors pension, and DIC claims. That protects retroactive money while you wait on records and the medical exam.

2
Step 2

Get a medical examination

A medical examiner fills out the examination information section of 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.

3
Step 3

Complete the pension application

On the pension route, a wartime veteran who isn't already receiving VA pension also submits VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension), the form a wartime veteran uses to file a pension claim; it covers your service history, income, net worth, and medical conditions. If you receive VA disability compensation rather than a VA pension, Form 21-2680 covers Aid and Attendance that will be added to your monthly compensation, and the pension application isn't the form for that route.

4
Step 4

Submit everything

You can apply online at VA.gov, by mail to the VA Pension Intake Center, or in person at a VA regional office, and an accredited attorney, accredited claims agent, or accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, such as a New Hampshire Veterans Services Officer, can help you file. Filing online lets you save your progress and track the claim.

5
Step 5

Wait for a decision

Asked how long a decision takes, the VA answers "It depends." It works claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. A complete application with strong medical documentation avoids avoidable delay, so send every supporting document at once rather than following up with them later.

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 New Hampshire: The Division of Veterans Services

You don't have to file this claim alone, and you should never pay to file an initial VA claim. The state's Division of Veterans Services provides this help free of charge to veterans and their dependents.

The New Hampshire Division of Veterans Services

Veterans Services Officers employed at the New Hampshire Division of Veterans Services help veterans who live in New Hampshire, and their dependents, secure the benefits or preferences they may be entitled to under any state or federal law, generally by helping them file claims for compensation or pension benefits with the VA. They also handle state benefits, survivors benefits, burial benefits, education benefits, the NH State Veterans Cemetery, and the NH Veterans Home. As employees of the state, these officers represent the veteran and their dependents throughout the VA claim process, and the Division's own benefits guide says the service is provided free of charge.

The main office is at 275 Chestnut Street, Room 517, Manchester, and all appointments are scheduled through it: (603) 624-9230, or toll-free in New Hampshire at 1-800-622-9230. Officers also meet veterans in person at visitation sites around the state, including the VA Medical Center in Manchester, the Readiness Center (Armory) in Nashua, the Gibson Center for Senior Services in North Conway, the Readiness Center (Armory) in Portsmouth, and the Veterans Home in Tilton.

The New Hampshire Veterans Home

New Hampshire operates one state-run veterans home: the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton, the state's long-term care facility dedicated to veterans. The Home doesn't publish a bed count, so ask it directly about current availability. To be eligible, an applicant must have served on active duty (other than active duty for training) in the U.S. Armed Forces, or in reserve units or the New Hampshire Army or Air National Guard, and must have been honorably discharged; no combat service, service-connected disability, or minimum age is required. Admission also depends on whether the applicant's condition is within the Home's resources and ability to treat. For a veteran weighing nursing care, an A&A award can help cover costs whether they stay at home or move into the Home.

New Hampshire's Veteran Population

New Hampshire is home to about 90,745 veterans, the 2024 figure from the VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics (NCVAS), down from 101,198 as of September 30, 2019. They are an older group than the country's: 50.2% are 65 or over in 2024, against 45.6% nationally, and as of September 30, 2019 veterans made up 8.5% of New Hampshire's adult population compared with 6.8% nationally. With that many older veterans across a relatively small state, it's worth contacting a Veterans Services Officer early rather than waiting until a care crisis forces the issue.

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 the New Hampshire Division of Veterans Services or a Veterans Service Organization like the VFW, American Legion, or DAV.

How VA Aid and Attendance Works with New Hampshire Medicaid

Aid and Attendance and New Hampshire Medicaid long-term care are run separately, by different agencies and under different rules. New Hampshire's Medicaid long-term care benefits, including nursing facility care and the home- and community-based Choices for Independence (CFI) waiver, are administered by the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which sets its own income and asset limits. A veteran may qualify for both, but the two count money differently, so a few points are worth understanding.

  • A&A income doesn't automatically disqualify you from New Hampshire Medicaid. The two programs count money under different rules, and the deduction of unreimbursed medical and care expenses from countable income is a VA rule, not a Medicaid one.
  • The two programs work differently. A&A arrives as cash in the veteran's own pension check, and the veteran or surviving spouse decides what care it pays for; New Hampshire Medicaid pays providers for the long-term care services it covers. Ask a DHHS caseworker what Medicaid will and won't pay for in your care setting.
  • Institutional Medicaid can reduce your VA pension. Under federal rules, a single veteran with no dependents (or a surviving spouse with no child) who is receiving Medicaid-covered nursing home care generally has the VA pension capped at $90 a month for any period after the month the Medicaid payments begin. Whether New Hampshire treats that $90 as the resident's personal needs allowance or as an amount on top of it is a state rule, so ask DHHS rather than assuming the two add up.
  • Eligibility and share of cost are two separate steps. Deciding eligibility, DHHS applies SSI income rules to the aged, blind, and disabled groups (42 CFR 435.601), and under SSA POMS SI 00830.308 the A&A allowance is not income for SSI purposes. New Hampshire is one of only 8 states that elected the more restrictive 209(b) option, so its own eligibility rule governs at that step and may differ; confirm how it treats the Aid and Attendance amount with the Department of Health and Human Services before relying on it. After eligibility, for someone receiving care in a nursing facility or other medical institution, income that was disregarded at the eligibility step is counted in the share-of-cost calculation (42 CFR 435.725), so the A&A amount does count toward what you owe the facility. Before that income reaches the facility, federal law requires the state to subtract five things from it, in this order: a personal needs allowance the resident keeps for clothing and other personal needs; an additional amount for the maintenance needs of a spouse still at home; an additional amount for the maintenance needs of other family members at home; amounts for incurred medical or remedial care expenses that Medicaid does not pay for; and the full amount of any SSI or state supplement payments the resident keeps receiving. Those are duties DHHS owes the resident, not options a family has to ask for. One New Hampshire wrinkle matters on the first of them: a nursing facility resident entitled to the VA nursing facility pension has that VA amount protected instead of the state's personal needs allowance, not on top of it, so the two are never added together. That share-of-cost rule is written for people in a nursing facility or other medical institution. Choices for Independence waiver services are governed by a separate federal post-eligibility rule, and the maintenance allowance a waiver participant keeps is set differently and is generally much larger, so ask DHHS which calculation applies to you before you budget for one. Confirm with a NH DHHS caseworker and an accredited Veterans Services Officer before you rely on both.

For the bigger picture of how to protect assets and plan for long-term care, start with our guide to Medicaid Planning Strategies.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does VA Aid and Attendance pay in New Hampshire in 2026?

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 New Hampshire. Your actual payment is reduced by your countable income, and out-of-pocket medical expenses can lower that income and raise your benefit.

Where can I get free help applying in New Hampshire?

Contact the New Hampshire Division of Veterans Services, whose state-employed Veterans Services Officers help file claims with the VA and represent you through the claim process; the Division's benefits guide says the service is free of charge. Officers serve veterans in Manchester, Nashua, North Conway, Portsmouth, and the Tilton Veterans Home, among other sites. You should never pay to file an initial claim.

Can I receive Aid and Attendance and New Hampshire Medicaid at the same time?

A veteran may qualify for both, but the programs interact, and eligibility and share of cost are two different steps. Under the general SSI rules that Medicaid applies to the aged, blind, and disabled groups, the A&A allowance is not income at the eligibility step. New Hampshire, though, is one of only 8 states that elected the more restrictive 209(b) option, so its own eligibility rule governs there and may differ; confirm with DHHS how it treats the A&A amount before relying on it. Once you are eligible and receiving care in a nursing facility or other medical institution, that amount does count in the share-of-cost calculation of what you owe the facility. Before that income reaches the facility, federal law requires the state to subtract five things from it, in this order: a personal needs allowance the resident keeps for clothing and other personal needs; an additional amount for the maintenance needs of a spouse still at home; an additional amount for the maintenance needs of other family members at home; amounts for incurred medical or remedial care expenses that Medicaid does not pay for; and the full amount of any SSI or state supplement payments the resident keeps receiving. Those are duties DHHS owes the resident, not options a family has to ask for. One New Hampshire wrinkle matters on the first of them: a nursing facility resident entitled to the VA nursing facility pension has that VA amount protected instead of the state's personal needs allowance, not on top of it, so the two are never added together. That share-of-cost rule is written for people in a nursing facility or other medical institution. Choices for Independence waiver services are governed by a separate federal post-eligibility rule, and the maintenance allowance a waiver participant keeps is set differently and is generally much larger, so ask DHHS which calculation applies to you before you budget for one. If you enter Medicaid-covered nursing home care as a single veteran with no dependents, the VA pension is generally capped at $90 a month. Confirm with a DHHS caseworker and an accredited Veterans Services Officer before relying on both.

How long does it take to get approved?

Asked how long a decision takes, the VA answers "It depends." It works claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. To avoid needless delay, have the medical examiner be detailed on VA Form 21-2680 and submit all supporting documents at once.

Learn More

MedicaidMedicaid Planning StrategiesSee which assets you keep, how the 5-year look-back works, and the legal moves that qualify you for Medicaid long-term care without losing the house. Care TypesAssisted Living in New HampshireAssisted living in New Hampshire is largely private-pay and runs above the national median. How the state licenses it, what it costs, and who pays. Care TypesNursing Homes in New HampshireNursing homes in New Hampshire in 2026: costs run well above the national median. What a stay costs, who pays, and how to vet a facility before you choose. Care TypesMemory Care in New HampshireNew Hampshire has no separate memory care license. Dementia care is delivered in a licensed residence, and state law requires dementia-specific staff training. Care TypesThe Cost of Senior Care in New HampshireWhat senior care costs in New Hampshire in 2026, from assisted living to nursing homes and in-home care, why the state runs high, and how families pay. Care TypesAssisted Living vs. Nursing Home in New HampshireAssisted living vs. a nursing home in New Hampshire comes down to level of care and who pays. Compare the cost gap and what New Hampshire Medicaid covers.
Your next step Find personalized help applying for VA Aid and Attendance in New Hampshire 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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