VA benefits for senior care reach further than most families realize. An older veteran or a surviving spouse may be able to draw on long-term care programs, monthly cash benefits, home modification grants, and burial coverage, sometimes several at once. The hard part is rarely eligibility. It's knowing which programs exist and where to start.

This guide is the map. It walks through each major VA benefit a senior or surviving spouse can use, explains in plain terms what it does, and points you to a detailed guide for each one.

In This Guide

VA Health Care and Long-Term Care

VA health care is the foundation. Enrolling in it is what unlocks VA medical care: with limited exceptions, a veteran must be enrolled to receive the VA's medical benefits package. When a veteran enrolls, the VA assigns them to one of 8 priority groups based on service history, service-connected disability rating, income, and other factors. The VA gives veterans with service-connected disabilities the highest priority and gives the lowest priority to veterans who earn a higher income and have no service-connected disability, and a veteran who qualifies for more than one group is assigned to the highest one.

For a senior, VA care also reaches into long-term care. The VA's long-term care programs include six types:

  • Home Based Primary Care sends a VA doctor-led health care team to the veteran's home for services such as nursing care, physical therapy, and help with daily tasks.
  • Adult Day Health Care is a daytime program offering social activities, companionship, recreation, care, and support.
  • Community Living Centers are VA nursing centers designed to feel like home, providing nursing-home-level care.
  • Community Nursing Homes are non-VA nursing homes the VA contracts with so veterans can get care near home.
  • Respite care gives family caregivers a break, by paying for a person to come into the veteran's home or for the veteran to go to a program outside the home, including a short nursing-home stay.
  • Veteran-Directed Care gives the veteran a flexible budget to hire their own caregivers, including family, friends and/or neighbors.

Each program has its own eligibility rules, and cost depends on the veteran's situation. For geriatric or extended care, the VA charges no copay for the first 21 days of care in a 12-month period; from the 22nd day, it bases the copay on the level of care and the financial information the veteran gives on VA Form 10-10EC. If adult day care is the program you are weighing, our guide to whether the VA pays for adult day care covers who qualifies and how the copay is decided.

For the full walkthrough of enrollment and how the priority groups work, see VA Health Care Enrollment and Priority Groups.

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

Aid and Attendance

Aid and Attendance is one of the most useful VA benefits for senior care, and one of the most overlooked. It's a higher pension rate for a veteran or surviving spouse who already gets a VA pension and meets at least one of four tests: needing another person's help with everyday activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing; having to stay in bed, or spend a large part of the day in bed, because of illness; being a patient in a nursing home because of the loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability; or having severely limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes even with glasses or contacts, or a visual field narrowed to 5 degrees or less). Being largely confined to home is the separate Housebound test, and a veteran cannot receive Aid and Attendance and Housebound at the same time.

The VA publishes the 2026 limits as Maximum Annual Pension Rates: up to $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents, up to $34,488 for a veteran with one dependent, and up to $18,697 for a surviving spouse with no dependents. VA publishes these rates as annual amounts, but pays pension monthly: under its regulations, the monthly rate is the yearly maximum minus the person's countable income, divided by 12 and rounded down to the whole dollar. Each is a ceiling on the whole pension, basic rate included, not an extra payment on top of it, and VA pays the difference between income for VA purposes and that limit. The money can be put toward in-home care, assisted living, or a nursing home.

Because eligibility rules and the application process touch on state programs, Brevy documents Aid and Attendance state by state. Find your state's guide in the Find Your State's Guide section below for the rules, rates, and local help that apply where your loved one lives.

VA Veterans Pension

The Veterans Pension provides monthly payments to wartime veterans who didn't receive a dishonorable discharge, whose income and net worth fall within the limits Congress sets, and who are at least 65 years old, or permanently and totally disabled, or a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or receiving Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. The basic 2026 rate (the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR) for a veteran with no dependents is $17,441/year, published as an annual ceiling rather than a monthly payment.

It's a needs-based benefit: the VA pays the difference between the veteran's countable income and the applicable MAPR. Unreimbursed medical expenses, such as in-home care or assisted living, can reduce countable income and bring an otherwise over-income veteran within reach, though only the portion above 5% of the applicable MAPR is deductible. Aid and Attendance and Housebound each raise the MAPR ceiling above the basic rate rather than paying a separate amount on top of the basic pension, and a veteran cannot receive both at once.

Net worth carries its own limit, $163,699 for 2026, and it is a household test rather than an individual one: it counts the veteran's and their dependents' assets together with their annual income for VA purposes, and it includes the net worth of a spouse. It also leaves a great deal out. The home the veteran lives in is not among the assets counted, and neither is the car or basic home items, and the assets that do count are counted net of the mortgages against them. The house you live in doesn't push you over the limit, and a family that assumes otherwise can end up never filing a claim the veteran might qualify for.

Wartime service is keyed to when the veteran entered active duty, and the VA lists three paths, at least one of which has to be true. Service that began before September 8, 1980 requires at least 90 days of active duty with at least 1 day during wartime. Enlisted service that began after September 7, 1980 requires at least 24 months (with some exceptions), or the full period for which the veteran was called or ordered to active duty, with at least 1 day during wartime. And a veteran who started on active duty as an officer after October 16, 1981 qualifies if they had not previously served on active duty for at least 24 months with at least 1 day during wartime.

For the full eligibility rules and how the income math works, see VA Pension for Wartime Veterans.

VA Survivors Pension

The Survivors Pension (once called the Death Pension) is a needs-based, tax-free benefit for a low-income, un-remarried surviving spouse of a deceased wartime veteran., For 2026, the basic maximum rate for a surviving spouse with no dependents is $11,699/year, rising to $18,697/year when the survivor also qualifies for Aid and Attendance.

As with the Veterans Pension, the VA bases the payment on the difference between the survivor's income for VA purposes and the applicable rate, and it pays the benefit in monthly payments. The same $163,699 net worth limit and 3-year asset look-back apply, and so do the same exclusions: the home the survivor lives in, their car, and basic home items are not counted against it.

For who qualifies and how to apply, see VA Survivors Pension.

Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)

DIC is a separate, tax-free monthly benefit for survivors when the veteran's death was connected to their service, or when the veteran had a totally disabling VA rating for a qualifying period before death., The Survivors Pension is the needs-based one, where eligibility rests on income and net worth; DIC instead turns on how the veteran's death, or the veteran's totally disabling rating, connects to their service.

For 2026, the base monthly rate for an eligible surviving spouse, when the veteran died on or after January 1, 1993, is $1,699.36/month. Added amounts can be paid on top of the base, including an Aid and Attendance allowance or, for a survivor who is permanently housebound but doesn't qualify for Aid and Attendance, a Housebound allowance; the two don't stack. A survivor eligible for both DIC and the Survivors Pension is paid whichever is greater, not both.

For the full rate table and eligibility, see VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).

Housebound Benefits

Housebound benefits are a higher pension rate for a veteran or surviving spouse who spends most of their time in their home because of a permanent disability, one that doesn't go away. For a veteran with no dependents, the Housebound MAPR is $21,313/year, higher than the $17,441 basic rate but below the $29,093 Aid and Attendance rate. Like the others, it is a ceiling on the whole pension rather than an add-on amount.

A person can receive either Housebound or Aid and Attendance, not both at the same time. Which one fits depends on the level of help the person needs.

For a side-by-side look at Housebound and how it compares to Aid and Attendance, see VA Housebound Benefits.

Home Modification Grants

For veterans who want to age in place, the VA offers grants to adapt a home for a qualifying disability. The main programs are the Specially Adapted Housing (SAH) grant, the Special Home Adaptation (SHA) grant, and the Home Improvements and Structural Alterations (HISA) grant. These can fund wheelchair access, bathroom modifications, and other changes that make a home safer and more livable.

Each grant has its own eligibility rules and dollar limits tied to the veteran's disability. For fiscal year 2026, the SAH maximum is $126,526, a total across every use of the grant rather than a yearly amount; a veteran can draw on it up to 6 times over a lifetime.

For who qualifies and how much each grant covers, see VA Adaptive Housing Grants.

Burial and Memorial Benefits

The VA provides burial and memorial benefits for eligible veterans and, in some cases, their spouses and dependents. These can include burial in a VA national cemetery, a headstone or marker, a burial flag, a Presidential Memorial Certificate, and, for some deaths, a burial allowance toward burial and funeral costs. That allowance has a narrow gate: the veteran must, for example, have died of a service-connected disability, in VA care, or while receiving a VA pension or compensation, so it isn't paid on the strength of honorable service alone.

Planning ahead can spare a family difficult decisions during an already hard time. If the veteran carried VA life insurance, our guide to VA life insurance for older veterans explains how the family files a claim.

For what's covered and how to arrange it, see VA Burial and Memorial Benefits; for state and county help on top of the VA's, see our guide to veteran burial allowances by state.

How VA Works with Medicare and Medicaid

VA benefits don't replace Medicare or Medicaid, a veteran isn't required 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., VA and Medicare generally can't pay for the same care, and VA doesn't bill Medicare, though if VA authorizes only some of the services during a stay in a non-VA hospital, Medicare may pay for the Medicare-covered services VA didn't authorize. You choose which coverage to use each time you get care, and holding VA health care is no shield against Medicare's Part B late-enrollment penalty: delay Part B while you rely on the VA, then sign up later, and you'll pay a penalty that grows with each year you waited, every year for the rest of your life.

  • VA and Medicare: Many veterans keep both, but the two generally cannot pay for the same items or services. Each time you get care you choose which benefit to use: Medicare pays for Medicare-covered items and services, and the VA pays for VA-authorized services.
  • VA and Medicaid: Medicaid looks at VA pension in two steps. Deciding financial eligibility for an aged, blind, or disabled applicant, a state applies SSI income methodologies, under which the Aid and Attendance and Housebound allowances are not income, so they don't count toward the income limit; only the 8 states that use eligibility criteria more restrictive than SSI, the 209(b) states, may count them there. Once a nursing-facility resident is eligible, the federal post-eligibility rules say income disregarded at eligibility must be considered, so the allowance can raise what the resident owes the facility. A state's own post-eligibility rules can exempt the Aid and Attendance portion, though, and those federal rules don't settle home and community-based waiver services. Separately, when a veteran or surviving spouse with no dependents gets Medicaid-covered nursing-facility care (a State veterans home that receives VA per diem payments follows a different rule), federal law limits the VA pension to $90 a month, and the facility can't count that $90 toward the cost of care. Our state Aid and Attendance guides cover the rule where you live.

Each pairing has its own rules, and getting them right can change what a family pays out of pocket.

For how these fit together, see How VA Health Benefits Work with Medicare and How VA Benefits Work with Medicaid for Long-Term Care.

How to Get Started With VA Benefits for Senior Care

1
Step 1

Confirm VA health care enrollment

If the veteran isn't already enrolled in VA health care, that's the first step, because, with limited exceptions, a veteran must be enrolled to receive the VA's medical benefits package. A veteran can apply online at va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply, and an accredited representative can help.

2
Step 2

Get accredited help

You don't have to file alone. A veteran can apply for VA health care with help from an accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative. Which kind you choose affects what it costs: the services an accredited VSO representative provides on a VA benefit claim are always free, and only an accredited attorney or claims agent may charge you a fee at all, and then only for representation provided after the VA has issued notice of its initial decision on the claim, so an accredited attorney or agent generally may not charge you to prepare and file the initial application. Your state's veterans agency and county Veterans Service Officers are good places to start, and the VA's own search at va.gov/get-help-from-accredited-representative lists who is accredited near you.

3
Step 3

Gather the DD-214

You'll need the veteran's DD-214 (discharge papers), along with medical records documenting the need for care and financial information. If the DD-214 can't be found, VA's page on requesting military service records explains how to ask for a copy.

Find Your State's Guide

Many VA senior care benefits, especially Aid and Attendance, run alongside state programs like Medicaid and state veterans homes, and the local help available varies by where you live. That's why Brevy maintains state-specific VA Aid and Attendance and senior-care guides for all 50 states.

Look up your state's guide for the rates, rules, state veterans homes, and free local help that apply where your loved one lives, then come back here to connect it to the national benefits above. If the veteran has a VA disability rating, our guide to state benefits by VA rating covers what states add on top.

Pick your state for its VA senior-care and Aid and Attendance guide, with the local rates, state veterans homes, and free help near you.

AlabamaView guide AlaskaView guide ArizonaView guide ArkansasView guide CaliforniaView guide ColoradoView guide ConnecticutView guide DelawareView guide District of ColumbiaView guide FloridaView guide GeorgiaView guide HawaiiView guide IdahoView guide IllinoisView guide IndianaView guide IowaView guide KansasView guide KentuckyView guide LouisianaView guide MaineView guide MarylandView guide MassachusettsView guide MichiganView guide MinnesotaView guide MississippiView guide MissouriView guide MontanaView guide NebraskaView guide NevadaView guide New HampshireView guide New JerseyView guide New MexicoView guide New YorkView guide North CarolinaView guide North DakotaView guide OhioView guide OklahomaView guide OregonView guide PennsylvaniaView guide Rhode IslandView guide South CarolinaView guide South DakotaView guide TennesseeView guide TexasView guide UtahView guide VermontView guide VirginiaView guide WashingtonView guide West VirginiaView guide WisconsinView guide WyomingView guide
51 states

Frequently Asked Questions

Does a veteran have to be service-connected disabled to get VA senior care benefits?

Not for all of them. The Veterans Pension and Aid and Attendance are based on wartime service, a discharge that wasn't dishonorable, age or disability, and financial need, not a service-connected disability. Some long-term care and home grant programs, however, do depend on a service-connected disability or priority group.

How much does Aid and Attendance pay in 2026?

For 2026, the VA's Maximum Annual Pension Rate with Aid and Attendance is $29,093 for a veteran with no dependents, $34,488 for a veteran with one dependent, and $18,697 for a surviving spouse with no dependents. VA pays it monthly: the yearly maximum minus countable income, divided by 12 and rounded down to the whole dollar. Each of those is a ceiling on the whole pension, which already includes the basic rate, rather than an extra amount added to it, and VA pays the difference between income for VA purposes and that limit.

Can a surviving spouse get VA benefits for senior care?

Yes. A surviving spouse of a wartime veteran may qualify for the Survivors Pension, whose basic maximum for a survivor with no dependents is $11,699/year and rises to $18,697/year with Aid and Attendance. A survivor whose spouse died from a service-connected cause may instead qualify for DIC.

What is the difference between DIC and the Survivors Pension?

The Survivors Pension is needs-based with income and net worth limits, while DIC is paid when the veteran's death was service-connected or the veteran had a qualifying totally disabling rating, with a 2026 base of $1,699.36/month for a surviving spouse when the veteran died on or after January 1, 1993. A survivor eligible for both is paid whichever is greater, not both.

Learn More

Guides to Each Benefit

VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance: Eligibility and How to ApplyVA Aid and Attendance explained: the 2026 maximum yearly amounts, who qualifies, the medical-expense rule that unlocks it, what it pays for, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Health Care Enrollment and Priority GroupsHow VA health care enrollment and priority groups work for older veterans: who can enroll, the 8 priority groups, copays, how to apply, and long-term care. VA BenefitsVA Pension for Wartime VeteransVA pension for wartime veterans: 2026 eligibility, MAPR rates, net worth limit, and how to apply for this needs-based monthly benefit for low-income seniors. VA BenefitsVA Survivors PensionHow the VA Survivors Pension works in 2026: who qualifies, the income and net worth limits, maximum annual rates, and how Aid and Attendance raises the benefit. VA BenefitsVA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC)A survivor's guide to VA Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC): 2026 rates, who qualifies, how remarriage affects it, appeals, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Housebound BenefitsVA Housebound benefits raise a veteran's or survivor's pension ceiling when a disability confines them to home. See 2026 rates, eligibility, and how to apply. VA BenefitsDoes the VA Cover Hospice Care? What Families of Veterans Need to KnowDoes the VA cover hospice care? Yes: an enrolled veteran who meets the clinical need can get VA hospice with no copay, at home or inpatient. How to ask for it. VA BenefitsVA Adaptive Housing GrantsHow VA adaptive housing grants help veterans age in place: SAH, SHA, and HISA explained, 2026 grant maximums, who qualifies, and which VA form to file. VA BenefitsVA Burial and Memorial BenefitsVA burial benefits for veterans and spouses in 2026: who can be buried in a national cemetery at no cost, the allowance amounts, and survivor support. VA BenefitsHow VA Health Benefits Work with MedicareHow VA health benefits and Medicare work together for veterans: using them one at a time, the Part B penalty trap, Part D drug coverage, and what to enroll in. VA BenefitsHow VA Benefits Work with Medicaid for Long-Term CareHow VA benefits and Medicaid work together for long-term care in 2026: the $90 nursing-home pension cap, how each counts income, and why state rules matter. VA BenefitsVA Benefits for Veterans With Dementia and Alzheimer'sThe VA benefits that help veterans with dementia: Aid and Attendance, VA health care and home-based care, caregiver support, respite, and how to start. VA BenefitsVA Survivors Benefits: A Guide for Surviving SpousesVA benefits for a surviving spouse: DIC vs Survivors Pension, Aid and Attendance, CHAMPVA health coverage, burial benefits, and how to apply in 2026.

More VA Benefits

VA BenefitsVA Beneficiary Travel: Mileage Reimbursement for VeteransHow VA beneficiary travel works in 2026: who qualifies, the 41.5-cents-per-mile rate, the deductible, the $18 monthly cap, and how to file a claim. VA BenefitsVA Pharmacy Benefits: Prescription Coverage and CopaysHow VA pharmacy benefits work in 2026: prescription coverage, the tiered medication copays, the $700 annual cap, copay exemptions, and Medicare Part D. VA BenefitsVA Dental Care: Who Qualifies and the VADIP OptionWho qualifies for free VA dental care, why many veterans enrolled in VA health care aren't covered, and how the VADIP dental insurance option works in 2026. VA BenefitsCHAMPVA: Health Coverage for Veterans Spouses and SurvivorsHow CHAMPVA covers health care for eligible spouses, survivors, and dependents of disabled or deceased veterans: who qualifies, costs, and the Medicare rule. VA BenefitsVA Hearing Aids and Vision CareVA hearing and vision care in 2026: routine exams cover every enrolled veteran, but hearing aids and eyeglasses are eligibility-gated under 38 CFR 17.149. VA BenefitsVA Telehealth: Care From Home for VeteransHow VA telehealth works in 2026: VA Video Connect visits, home remote monitoring, and ATLAS sites that bring care closer for veterans without home internet.

How to Qualify for VA Pension and Aid and Attendance

VA BenefitsHow VA Aid and Attendance Pays for Assisted LivingHow VA Aid and Attendance helps pay for assisted living: the 2026 annual pension limits, the medical-expense rule, who qualifies, and how to apply. VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance vs HouseboundCompare VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits: 2026 rates, who qualifies, why you cannot receive both, and how to choose and apply for the right one. VA BenefitsUnreimbursed Medical Expenses and VA PensionHow unreimbursed medical expenses lower countable income for VA Pension, the 5%-of-MAPR rule, what care costs count, and how to report them in 2026. VA BenefitsVA Pension Net Worth Limit and the 3-Year Look-BackHow the VA pension net worth limit ($163,699) and the 3-year look-back work in 2026, including penalty period math and how to avoid transfer mistakes.
Your next step Find personalized help navigating VA senior care benefits 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.

Still have questions?

Brevy answers from this guide and every other guide here, and can check what you qualify for.

BC

Brevy Care Team

Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.