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, that check can reach $2,874 a month ($34,488 a year) in 2026. It's one of the most underused VA benefits, and many New York 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 York, including from the New York State Department of Veterans' Services and 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 is paid in cash to the veteran or surviving spouse, and the money can go toward any purpose, including in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home costs. That flexibility is what makes it so useful for New York families piecing together long-term care, where the cost of a home health aide or an assisted living residence runs high.

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. 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 in a nursing home, 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, and each taxing jurisdiction sets its own maximum dollar limits on those benefits. 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. Because the dollar limits are set locally, ask your assessor what your municipality has adopted. 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) Approximate monthly (annual ÷ 12)
Veteran, no dependents $29,093 about $2,424
Veteran with spouse $34,488 $2,874
Surviving spouse $18,697 about $1,558
Two veterans married to each other (both A&A) $46,143 about $3,845
Veteran, no dependents (Housebound) $21,313 about $1,776
Veteran, no dependents (basic pension) $17,441 about $1,453
Each additional dependent +$2,984 about +$248

VA publishes annual rates; a monthly amount is the yearly award divided by 12, so treat the monthly column as approximate. Each figure is a maximum, not a payment.

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, or about $1,874 a month. Unreimbursed medical expenses, including what you pay for care, reduce your income for VA purposes above a 5-percent-of-MAPR floor ($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, and it excludes your primary home and a vehicle.

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 like appliances. In a high-cost state like New York, where home values downstate can be substantial, that home exclusion matters. The house you live in doesn't push you over the limit.

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 severe, and the VA lookback works differently from New York Medicaid's separate lookback, so don't assume planning for one covers the other.

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), the wartime, means-tested pension application, which covers service history, income, net worth, and medical conditions.

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 representative such as a New York Veterans Benefits Advisor, a county Veterans Service Agency officer, an accredited claims agent, or an accredited attorney can also file for you. Filing online lets you save your progress and track the claim.

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: 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 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, accredited 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 Veterans' Services offices statewide when we checked in July 2026, among them county Veterans Service Agencies like the Albany County, Allegany County, and Broome County agencies, where you can meet with a Veterans Benefits Advisor in person. A local agency can prepare and submit your claim, develop the evidence the VA needs, and represent you on an appeal, all at no cost. 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 well below a private facility. An A&A award can help cover care costs whether a veteran stays at home, moves to assisted living, or is on a waiting list for one of these homes.

A Note on New York's Veterans

New York is home to one of the largest veteran populations of any state, which means demand on Veterans Benefits Advisors and county offices is real. It's worth contacting yours 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. 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, a county Veterans Service Agency, or a Veterans Service Organization.

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 you're already eligible and receiving nursing-facility care, the allowance does count in the share-of-cost calculation of what you owe the facility. The state must then subtract the deductions that calculation requires before it bills the rest, and incurred medical expenses that no third party pays are one of those deductions rather than the whole list. Do not assume medical expenses are the only thing that comes off: ask the State Department of Health which deductions apply in your case and in what amounts, including anything set aside for the resident's own personal needs or for a spouse still living at home, before you budget on the gross figure. Someone receiving home and community-based waiver services also has a post-eligibility calculation, but the state's own rules set that one rather than the nursing-facility rule. And for VA purposes, unreimbursed medical and care expenses can be deducted from your countable income.
  • 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 resource limits and planning tools, such as pooled income trusts, that work differently from the VA net worth limit.
  • Timing matters. Because the two programs count the same income differently, the order in which you apply can affect eligibility for one or both. Talk to a Veterans Benefits Advisor or a benefits counselor who understands both programs before you file.

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 (about $2,424 a month), a veteran with a spouse up to $34,488 a year ($2,874 a month), and a surviving spouse up to $18,697 a year (about $1,558 a month). 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 can lower that income and raise your benefit.

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

Yes. Many New York veterans receive both. Under the SSI income rules Medicaid uses at the eligibility step, the Aid and Attendance allowance isn't counted as income, though it does count in the share-of-cost calculation once you're eligible and receiving nursing-facility care, after the state takes the deductions that calculation requires. Incurred medical expenses that no third party pays are one of those deductions and not the only one, so ask the State Department of Health what else comes off, including anything set aside for personal needs or for a spouse still living at home. A waiver recipient also has a post-eligibility calculation, but the state's own rules set it. For the VA pension, unreimbursed medical and care expenses can be deducted from countable income. Talk to a benefits counselor before applying, because timing can affect eligibility.

Where can I get free help applying in New York?

Call the New York State Department of Veterans' Services at 1-888-838-7697, or contact your county Veterans Service Agency. In New York City, state-accredited staff at the NYC Department of Veterans' Services handle claims at no cost. Their accredited advisors prepare and submit VA claims at no cost. 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. The most common cause of delay is an incomplete application, so 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, monthly rates up to $2,874, how to apply, and free help from CalVet and county service officers. 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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