VA Aid and Attendance in New York 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, the 2026 maximum is $34,488 a year, which VA pays in monthly installments. If your parent is a wartime veteran or a veteran's surviving spouse who needs daily help, it's worth checking.

This guide walks through who qualifies, how much you can receive, how to apply, and where to get free help filing from the New York State Department of Veterans' Services, plus how to find your county Veterans Service Agency.

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. On the pension route it's the same VA pension paid at a higher maximum rate when you need regular care, so the Aid and Attendance figure is the maximum for the whole pension, not a second payment layered on the basic rate., Aid and Attendance can also be added to monthly compensation benefits for a veteran who receives VA disability compensation.

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

  • Bathing or showering
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Eating
  • Keeping yourself clean and presentable
  • Adjusting special prosthetic or orthopedic appliances
  • Protecting yourself from everyday hazards

You can also qualify if you're bedridden, live in a nursing home due to 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 comes as monthly payments added to a qualified veteran's or survivor's VA pension, not as a service. VA's need test covers someone who needs help at home as well as a nursing home patient. For New York families piecing together long-term care, that makes it money to plan around.

Not sure whether your parent qualifies for Aid and Attendance? Check with Brevy's care navigator at brevy.com.

Do You Qualify?

VA starts from a baseline condition: the veteran did not receive a dishonorable discharge. On top of that, you have to meet all four of these requirements.

1. Wartime service. The length of service the VA requires turns on when the veteran entered active duty, not on which war they served in. VA lists three paths. A veteran who started active duty before September 8, 1980 must have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period. A veteran who started active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980 needs at least 24 months (with some exceptions), or the full period for which they were called or ordered to active duty, with at least one day during wartime. A veteran who started active duty as an officer after October 16, 1981 qualifies if they had not previously served on active duty for at least 24 months, again with at least one day during wartime. Recognized wartime periods include World War II, the Korean conflict, the Vietnam War era, and the Gulf War (August 2, 1990 through a future date to be set by law or presidential proclamation).,

2. Age, disability, nursing home, or SSDI/SSI. The veteran has to meet at least one of four alternatives, any one of which satisfies this test: 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. A wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI meets this test without any adjudicated disability rating.

3. Need for assistance. The veteran or surviving spouse must need regular help with daily activities, be bedridden, be a nursing home patient because of a disability-related loss of abilities, or have severely limited eyesight, as described above.

4. Net worth under $163,699. This is the limit for December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026. VA's net worth calculation combines your and your dependents' assets with your annual income, so comparing savings alone against $163,699 gives you the wrong answer. Your primary home, your car, and basic household items don't count. That home may also carry a benefit of its own: New York's alternative veterans exemption (RPTL 458-a) reduces the assessed value a wartime veteran's primary residence is taxed on, with additional reductions for combat-zone service and for a service-connected disability. Each part has a state-law maximum dollar amount that your county, city, town, village, or school district can lower or raise by local law, and not every taxing jurisdiction applies the exemption to its own taxes. You claim it by filing Form RP-458-a with your municipal assessor, not with the VA, and the filing deadline is March 1 in most communities. Ask your assessor which limits your municipality uses and which of your tax bills the exemption reaches. See our guide to the New York disabled veteran property tax exemption.

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.

2026 Aid and Attendance Rates

The MAPR is a ceiling, not a payment. The VA bases the amount on the difference between your income for VA purposes and the Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) for your category, so if your income is low enough you receive close to the full amount. These rates are federal, so they're the same in New York as anywhere else.

Category Maximum Annual Rate (MAPR)
Veteran, no dependents $29,093
Veteran with spouse $34,488
Surviving spouse $18,697
Two veterans married to each other (both A&A) $46,143
Veteran, no dependents (Housebound) $21,313
Veteran, no dependents (basic pension) $17,441
Each additional dependent +$2,984 a year

VA publishes these rates as annual amounts. Pension is paid monthly: under VA's regulations, the monthly rate is your MAPR minus your countable income, divided by 12 and rounded down to the whole dollar.

Here's how the math works. If a veteran with a spouse has $12,000 in annual income for VA purposes and qualifies for A&A, the VA pays the difference: $34,488 minus $12,000 leaves $22,488 a year, which VA pays in monthly installments under the divide-by-12 rule above. Unreimbursed medical expenses reduce your income for VA purposes, but only the amount above 5% of your MAPR counts ($872 for a veteran with no spouse or child, $1,141 with one dependent), 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. The income it adds is your income for VA purposes, after deductible unreimbursed medical expenses come off, not your gross income.

What counts: the fair market value of all the real and personal property you own, minus any mortgages on it, plus your annual income.

What doesn't count: your primary residence, your car, and basic home items like appliances. The exclusion covers a lot of up to 2 acres (marketable land beyond that counts), and it holds even if you move into a nursing home. For a New York family whose biggest asset is the house, that exclusion matters.

The 3-Year Lookback Rule

The VA reviews any assets you transferred for less than fair market value in the three years before VA receives 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. Putting money into an annuity, a trust, or another investment that lowers your net worth also counts as a transfer for less than fair market value, unless you can cash out the whole balance for your own use, in which case VA counts it as net worth.

If you're thinking about transferring assets, talk to a VA-accredited attorney or an elder law attorney first. New York Medicaid counts income and assets under its own rules, so don't assume planning for the VA pension covers Medicaid too.

How to Apply for VA Aid and Attendance in New York

The steps below are the pension route: VA's condition is that you may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension. VA Form 21-2680 also covers Aid and Attendance that will be added to your monthly compensation benefits, so a veteran already receiving VA disability compensation rather than pension uses the same examination form without filing the pension application.

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.

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

A wartime veteran pursuing the pension route who isn't already receiving VA pension submits VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension).

4
Step 4

Submit everything

You can file online at va.gov, mail the forms to the VA Pension Intake Center, or bring them in person to a VA regional office. An accredited Veterans Service Organization representative, accredited claims agent, or accredited attorney can also help you file, and a New York Veterans Benefits Advisor will prepare and file the claim for you.,

5
Step 5

Wait for a decision

Asked how long a decision takes, VA's answer is "It depends." It processes claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. What you can control is the paperwork, so send everything at once.

Documents to Gather First

DVS asks claimants to bring military records, medical records, buddy statements, and doctors' notes to a first appointment. For an A&A claim, also have ready:

  • Military records showing your active-duty dates, which VA's service test turns on
  • Medical records and doctors' notes documenting the need for daily help
  • Income and asset statements, since VA tests both against its limits
  • Unreimbursed medical expenses, reported on VA Form 21P-8416 (Medical Expense Report)
  • VA Form 21-0779, which a nursing home official fills out, if the veteran is a nursing home patient

Free Help in New York: DVS and County Veterans Service Agencies

You don't have to file this claim alone, and you should never pay to file an initial VA claim. Free help is available across the state.

The New York State Department of Veterans' Services (DVS)

The New York State Department of Veterans' Services (DVS) provides free benefits advising and connects New York veterans, service members, and their families to local, state, and federal benefits. Its Veterans Benefits Advisors, each a veteran, say they will gladly prepare and file your claim. They help you gather supporting documents such as military records or VA health records, complete the applications, and file the claim or an appeal on your behalf, whether you are the veteran, a spouse, a child, or a parent. You can reach an advisor at 1-888-838-7697 or book a phone or video consultation through the DVS website.

County and City Veterans Service Agencies

DVS keeps an office-locations directory you can filter by county. It listed 112 results when we checked in July 2026, a mix of county Veterans Service Agencies such as the Albany County, Allegany County, and Broome County agencies and federal VA facilities such as the Brooklyn VA Medical Center. The directory is where to find an office where you can meet with a Veterans Benefits Advisor. Each county agency sets its own hours and appointment rules, so call ahead. Clinton County, for example, says all its services are provided without charge and that it requires appointments to see its service officers. In New York City, state DVS announced in May 2020 that it had trained and accredited five members of the NYC Department of Veterans' Services Community Services team to process claims and assist NYC veterans and their families in need of claim advisement, calling it a no cost, direct service to New York City veterans.

New York State Veterans' Homes

For a veteran who needs skilled nursing care, New York runs five State Veterans' Homes, owned and operated by the New York State Department of Health and SUNY, in Oxford, Montrose, St. Albans, Long Island, and Batavia. DOH runs four of them, and SUNY runs the Long Island home at Stony Brook. An eligible veteran has no out-of-pocket cost for routine skilled nursing care while living in a State Veterans Home, and this benefit carries no means test or income limit. To qualify, a veteran must need skilled nursing care, must have entered active duty from New York State or have been a New York State resident for the year before applying, and must have an honorable discharge with at least 30 days of active service. Other honorably discharged veterans with at least 30 days of active service, and their spouses, may obtain skilled nursing care subject to bed availability, at a cost far below the average price of a private facility. The state's page lists this reduced-cost route next to the no-out-of-pocket one without saying exactly which veterans fall under which, so ask the home about cost when you apply.

A Note on New York's Veterans

It's worth contacting a Veterans Benefits Advisor or your county office early rather than waiting until a care crisis forces the issue. Gathering records takes time, and VA itself gives no timeframe for a decision.

A word of caution: be wary of companies that charge fees to help with VA claims. The services an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative provides on a VA benefit claim are always free, and only an accredited attorney or an accredited claims agent may charge you a fee at all. Even then, they may charge only for representation provided after the VA has issued notice of its initial decision on the claim, so no one should charge you to prepare and file the initial pension application. Free filing help is available through DVS or an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative.

How VA Aid and Attendance Works with New York Medicaid

Aid and Attendance and Medicaid in New York are run separately, by different agencies and under different rules. A&A is a federal VA pension benefit administered by the VA; New York Medicaid is administered by the State Department of Health. A veteran can receive both at the same time, but the two count money differently, so a few points are worth understanding.

  • A&A income doesn't automatically disqualify you from Medicaid. When Medicaid first decides whether you're eligible, it applies SSI income rules to aged, blind, and disabled applicants, and under those rules the Aid and Attendance allowance is not income, so only the basic pension amount counts toward the income limit. Confirm how it's handled with the State Department of Health, since a state may use eligibility criteria more restrictive than SSI. Once a nursing-home resident is in permanent absence status, New York's Medicaid Reference Guide says that, starting the month after permanent absence is established, Aid and Attendance payments are not applied toward the cost of care, and neither is a reduced $90 VA pension. For a married resident whose spouse still lives at home, the guide says the local district may not require the A&A payments to go toward the cost of care. A resident who isn't in permanent absence status isn't covered by that rule, so confirm how the allowance is budgeted in your own case with your local department of social services. The resident's other income goes toward the facility only after the deductions the budget requires, starting with a $50 personal needs allowance for a resident with no earned income in a medical facility as defined by Article 28 of the Public Health Law. That nursing-home budgeting doesn't cover someone receiving home and community-based waiver services at home, so a waiver or Managed Long Term Care household should ask the State Department of Health which post-eligibility rule applies to them. For the VA pension, unreimbursed medical expenses above 5% of your MAPR reduce your income for VA purposes.
  • A single veteran in a Medicaid nursing home may see the pension cut to $90 a month. Federal law sets that cap, for any month after the month of admission, for a veteran with no spouse or child (or a surviving spouse with no child) whose nursing-facility care a Medicaid plan covers. It excludes a State Veterans Home stay that VA pays a nursing-care per diem for, so check your case with an accredited Veteran Service Officer.
  • The two programs work differently. Aid and Attendance arrives as a monthly cash payment the recipient can put toward care costs, while New York Medicaid covers long-term care services under its own rules.
  • New York Medicaid uses its own income and asset tests. Long-term-care Medicaid in New York has its own income and resource rules, which work differently from the VA net worth limit. One planning tool, a pooled trust run by a non-profit, lets income placed in it go uncounted, but only for a person certified as disabled, and a married applicant budgeted under spousal impoverishment rules (for example, someone in a Managed Long Term Care plan) still has that income counted.
  • Get advice before you file. Because the two programs interact, talk to a Veterans Benefits Advisor or a benefits counselor familiar with New York Medicaid before you apply for either.

For the bigger picture of how New York Medicaid pays for care, see our guide to getting Medicaid to pay for a nursing home in New York.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

The maximum depends on your situation. A veteran alone can receive up to $29,093 a year, a veteran with a spouse up to $34,488 a year, and a surviving spouse up to $18,697 a year, paid in monthly installments. These are ceilings rather than payments, and they are federal rates, identical in New York. Your actual payment is reduced by your countable income, and out-of-pocket medical expenses above 5% of your MAPR can lower that income and raise your benefit.

Can I get Aid and Attendance and New York Medicaid at the same time?

Yes, you can receive both. Under the SSI income rules Medicaid uses at the eligibility step, the Aid and Attendance allowance isn't counted as income (confirm this with the State Department of Health). For a nursing-home resident in permanent absence status, New York's Medicaid Reference Guide also says A&A payments are not applied toward the cost of care, starting the month after permanent absence is established, so check how your own case is budgeted with your local department of social services. One big exception: a veteran with no spouse or child whose nursing-facility care Medicaid covers can be paid no more than $90 a month in pension after the month of admission, unless the stay is in a State Veterans Home that VA pays a nursing-care per diem for.

Where can I get free help applying in New York?

Call the New York State Department of Veterans' Services at 1-888-838-7697; its Veterans Benefits Advisors will prepare and file your claim for free. You can also find your county Veterans Service Agency in the DVS office directory. In New York City, state DVS trained and accredited staff at the NYC Department of Veterans' Services to process claims, which it described in 2020 as a no cost service. You should never pay to file an initial claim.

How long does it take to get approved?

VA's own answer is "It depends." It works claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. To avoid back-and-forth, have the medical examiner be detailed on VA Form 21-2680 and submit all supporting documents at once.

Learn More

VA BenefitsHow to Get VA Aid and Attendance in CaliforniaVA Aid and Attendance in California for 2026: who qualifies, pension ceilings up to $34,488 a year, how to apply, and free help from CalVet and county offices. MedicareMedicare Plans and Coverage in New YorkMedicare in New York for 2026: Part A, Part B, Medicare Advantage, Part D, and the year-round Medigap rule, plus programs that help pay your costs. MedicaidHow to Get Medicaid to Pay for a Nursing Home in New YorkNew York nursing home Medicaid in 2026: what your spouse keeps, whether the house is safe, the $33,038 asset limit, the 5-year look-back, and how to apply. MedicaidYour Guide to New York Managed Long Term Care (MLTC)How New York Managed Long Term Care (MLTC) pays for home care in 2026: who qualifies, MLTCP vs. MAP vs. PACE, the new minimum-needs rule, and how to enroll. FinancialHow to Pay for Senior Care in New YorkHow to pay for senior care in New York in 2026: costs, Medicare's limits, generous NY Medicaid and MLTC, VA Aid and Attendance, EPIC, and LTC insurance.
Your next step Find personalized help applying for VA Aid and Attendance in New York 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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