A wartime veteran in South Carolina who needs daily help with bathing, dressing, or eating can have their VA pension raised to the Aid and Attendance rate. For a veteran with a spouse, that ceiling is $2,874 a month, or $34,488 a year in 2026, covering the whole pension rather than sitting on top of it. It's one of the most underused VA benefits: many South Carolina veterans and surviving spouses who qualify never apply because they don't know the benefit exists.

This guide walks through who qualifies, how much you can receive, how to apply, and where to get help filing in South Carolina, including from the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs and your county Veterans' Affairs officer.

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 this guide covers, it's the same VA pension paid at a higher maximum rate when you need regular care, so the Aid and Attendance figure is where the pension maximum lands, not a separate amount stacked on the basic rate. (VA also uses the same Aid and Attendance exam form for benefits added to monthly compensation, a different route with different rules.)

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

  • Bathing or showering
  • Dressing and undressing
  • Eating or preparing meals
  • Using the toilet
  • Adjusting prosthetic devices
  • Protecting yourself from everyday hazards

You can also qualify if you're bedridden, spend a large part of the day in bed because of illness, live in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity, or have severely limited eyesight (5/200 or less in both eyes).

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 South Carolina 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 on the pension route, the veteran must not have received a dishonorable discharge, and must meet all four of these requirements.

1. Wartime service. VA lists three service paths, and which one applies depends on when the veteran started active duty, not on which war they served in. A veteran 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. A veteran who started active duty as an enlisted person after September 7, 1980 needs at least 24 months, or the full period they were called or ordered to active duty (with some exceptions), again with at least 1 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. Qualifying wartime periods include World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf War (which includes all post-9/11 service).

2. Age, disability, nursing-home care, or SSDI/SSI. VA lists four alternatives here, and meeting any one of them satisfies the test: the veteran is at least 65 years old; has a permanent and total disability; is a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability; or is getting Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. A wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI clears this requirement without any adjudicated 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. It counts your assets plus your annual income combined. Your primary home, your car, and basic home items 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 limits as annual amounts, so the monthly figures below are the yearly rate divided by 12. These rates are federal, so they're the same in South Carolina 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
Veteran, no dependents (basic pension) $17,441 $1,453
Each additional dependent +$2,984 +$248

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. This combines your 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 South Carolina 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 South Carolina

VA Form 21-2680 is the form you use to apply for Aid and Attendance benefits that will be added to your monthly compensation or pension benefits, so the same exam form serves a veteran on either route. The steps below are the pension route, the one VA describes when it says you may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension.

1
Step 1

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

Submitting VA Form 21-0966 (Intent to File) starts the filing process, and the VA says submitting an intent to file can secure the earliest possible effective date for any retroactive payments you may be eligible to receive. The form covers disability, Veterans pension, survivors pension, and Dependency and Indemnity Compensation claims.

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

VA Form 21P-527EZ is for a wartime veteran who wants to file a pension claim, so a wartime veteran who isn't already receiving VA pension submits VA Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension) as well, covering service history, income, net worth, and medical conditions. It's a pension application, so it applies only on the pension route.

4
Step 4

Submit everything

You can file online at va.gov, mail the forms to the VA Pension Intake Center, apply in person at a VA regional office, or file through an accredited representative such as your county Veterans' Affairs officer. 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's answer is "It depends." It processes claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. A complete application with strong medical documentation gives the VA less to go back for. 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

Where to Get Help in South Carolina: SCDVA and County Veterans' Affairs Officers

You don't have to file this claim alone. Help is available across South Carolina, and the VA states that the services an accredited Veterans Service Organization representative provides on your VA benefit claims are always free, while an accredited attorney or claims agent can charge you fees for their services.

The South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs (SCDVA)

The South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs, known as SCDVA, is the state agency that helps veterans and their families file VA claims, including need-based VA pension and Aid and Attendance claims. Its officers can help you file a claim and in some cases assist with claims review and representation for appeals services. SCDVA says it is highly recommended that a veteran complete a claim with the assistance of a veteran's representative, and it directs veterans to start the claims filing process at their local county Veterans' Affairs Office. The department's main number is 803-734-0200.

SCDVA also oversees six State Veteran Home facilities that provide skilled or intermediate nursing home care: the E. Roy Stone Veterans Pavilion in Columbia, Veterans' Victory House in Walterboro, the Richard Michael Campbell Veterans Home in Anderson, Veteran Village in Florence, Palmetto Patriots Home in Gaffney, and Patriot's Village in Sumter. Under legislation Governor Henry McMaster signed in July 2023, SCDVA took the homes over from the South Carolina Department of Mental Health in two phases: July 1, 2024 for the contractor-operated homes in Walterboro, Anderson, Florence, and Gaffney, and July 1, 2025 for the state-operated Stone pavilion in Columbia. Admission is limited to veterans who separated from the U.S. Armed Forces under general or honorable conditions and qualify as South Carolina citizens in need of skilled or intermediate nursing home care. For a veteran weighing assisted living or nursing care, an A&A award can help cover costs whether they stay at home or move into one of these homes.

County Veterans' Affairs Officers

You don't have to travel to Columbia to get help. County Veterans' Affairs officers are located throughout South Carolina. A county Veterans' Affairs officer can help you and your family file a claim and in some cases assist with claims review and representation for appeals services, and SCDVA directs veterans to start the claims filing process at their local county Veterans' Affairs Office. To find the office that serves your county, call SCDVA at 803-734-0200.

Those same officers handle a state benefit worth raising while you're there. South Carolina's property tax exemption for permanently and totally disabled veterans is claimed with a certificate your county service officer signs, so one visit can cover both filings. Our guide to South Carolina's disabled veteran property tax exemption walks through who qualifies and how to claim it.

South Carolina's Veteran Population

South Carolina is home to a large veteran population. The VA's National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics counted 387,638 South Carolina veterans in 2024, up from 386,240 in 2023, out of a national total of 17,921,245. With that many veterans, demand on county offices is real, so it's worth contacting yours early rather than waiting until a care crisis forces the issue.

A word of caution: know who you are paying before you sign anything. SCDVA points veterans to the VA's search tool for finding an accredited attorney, claims agent, or Veterans Service Organization representative, and the VA states that the services an accredited VSO representative provides on your VA benefit claims are always free, while an accredited attorney or claims agent can charge you fees for their services.

How VA Aid and Attendance Works with South Carolina Medicaid

Aid and Attendance and South Carolina Medicaid, called Healthy Connections and administered by the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS), are run separately, under different rules. A veteran may seek both, but the two programs can treat a VA pension differently, so a few points are worth understanding.

  • A&A is a need-based pension increase. Aid and Attendance is an increased monthly VA pension for wartime veterans or surviving spouses who need another person's help with daily activities such as bathing, dressing, or feeding, or who are in a nursing home due to disability.
  • Out-of-pocket care costs can raise your VA benefit. When the VA determines your pension amount, it generally reduces your countable income by certain unreimbursed medical expenses, so what you pay out of pocket for care can increase the benefit.
  • The two programs follow different income rules. Because eligibility rules and how a VA pension is treated as income differ between the VA pension program and South Carolina's Medicaid program, the same income can be counted differently by each.
  • Once Medicaid is paying, A&A counts toward your share of cost. At the eligibility step, South Carolina applies SSI income rules, under which the Aid and Attendance allowance is not counted as income at all, so only the basic pension counts toward the income limit. Once a person is eligible, which federal rule decides their share of cost depends on where they live. For a resident of a medical institution or intermediate care facility, 42 CFR 435.725 applies, and income that was disregarded in determining eligibility must be counted in the share-of-cost calculation, so any Aid and Attendance amount does count toward what the resident owes the facility. Not all of that income reaches the facility. Before it reduces its payment to the institution, the agency must deduct five amounts from the resident's total income, in this order: a personal needs allowance for clothing and other personal needs in the institution; for a resident with only a spouse at home, an additional amount for that spouse's maintenance needs; for a resident with a family at home, an additional amount for the family's maintenance needs; incurred expenses for medical or remedial care that no third party pays, including Medicare and other health insurance premiums, deductibles and coinsurance; and the full amount of any SSI and state supplement benefits the resident keeps receiving. All five are deductions the agency must make, not benefits a family applies for, and the maintenance amount for a spouse still at home is the one a community spouse is most likely never to hear about. None of the first three is a fixed federal sum, so ask SCDHHS what the amounts will be rather than assuming a figure. A person receiving home and community-based services under a waiver is covered by a different section: 42 CFR 435.726 governs waiver participants, and its first required deduction is an amount for that person's own maintenance needs that the state may set at any level.
  • Confirm the treatment before you rely on it. A veteran applying for both should confirm the current treatment with SCDHHS (Healthy Connections) and an accredited representative before relying on a specific outcome.

If you're planning ahead for long-term care costs, our guide to Medicaid planning strategies walks through how families protect assets while qualifying for care.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does VA Aid and Attendance pay in South Carolina in 2026?

The maximum depends on your situation. At the Aid and Attendance rate, the whole pension is capped at $2,424 a month for a veteran alone, $2,874 a month for a veteran with a spouse, and $1,558 a month for a surviving spouse. These are federal rates, identical in South Carolina. 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 help applying in South Carolina?

Contact your county Veterans' Affairs officer or the South Carolina Department of Veterans' Affairs at 803-734-0200. SCDVA says it is highly recommended that a veteran complete a claim with the assistance of a veteran's representative, and it points veterans to the VA's search tool for an accredited attorney, claims agent, or VSO representative. The VA states that an accredited VSO representative's services on your claim are always free, while an accredited attorney or claims agent can charge you fees.

Can I receive Aid and Attendance and South Carolina Medicaid at the same time?

The two programs are separate, and how a VA pension counts toward Medicaid can differ from how the VA treats it. Once you are eligible for Healthy Connections and living in a medical institution or intermediate care facility, income that was disregarded in determining eligibility must be counted in the share-of-cost calculation (42 CFR 435.725), so any Aid and Attendance amount does count toward what the resident owes the facility. Not all of it reaches the facility: the agency must deduct five amounts in order, starting with a personal needs allowance and then, for a resident with a spouse or a family still at home, a maintenance amount for them, before it reaches incurred medical expenses no third party pays and any SSI payments the resident keeps. A waiver participant is covered instead by 42 CFR 435.726, whose first required deduction is a maintenance amount for the participant that the state may set at any level. Because the rules differ between the VA pension program and South Carolina's Healthy Connections Medicaid, confirm the current treatment with SCDHHS and an accredited representative before relying on a specific outcome. Out-of-pocket care costs can reduce your countable income for VA purposes and raise your benefit.

How long does it take to get approved?

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. 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

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 South CarolinaAssisted living in South Carolina runs about $5,350 a month and is licensed as a Community Residential Care Facility (CRCF). Costs, who regulates it, who pays. Care TypesNursing Homes in South CarolinaNursing homes in South Carolina in 2026: what a semi-private room costs (about $108,405 a year), how to check quality, and how Medicaid pays for care. Care TypesMemory Care in South CarolinaSouth Carolina has no separate memory care license, but a state law forces any place selling Alzheimer's care to put it in writing. See what it must tell you. Care TypesCost of Senior Care in South CarolinaWhat senior care costs in South Carolina in 2026: assisted living about $5,350 a month, a nursing home about $108,405 a year. See every setting and how to pay. Care TypesAssisted Living vs. Nursing Homes in South CarolinaAssisted living vs. a nursing home in South Carolina: the care difference, the cost gap (about $5,350/month vs. $108,405/year), and who pays for each.
Your next step Find personalized help applying for VA Aid and Attendance in South Carolina 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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