VA senior care benefits in Texas cap Aid and Attendance for a veteran with a spouse at $34,488 a year, or $2,874 a month, and open the door to 10 Texas State Veterans Homes., Most families never learn what to ask for.

If you're watching a parent decline and trying to sort out what the VA will actually cover, you're not alone, and you likely have more options than you think.

This guide covers every VA program that helps pay for or provide senior care, how to access each one in Texas, and what happens when VA care isn't enough on its own.

In This Guide

VA Senior Care Benefits in Texas: Long-Term Care Programs

The VA offers multiple long-term care programs. Access isn't automatic once a veteran is enrolled: VA also has to conclude the veteran needs that specific service for their ongoing treatment and personal care, and the service, or a space in the care setting, has to be available near them. VA may also weigh other factors, like the veteran's service-connected disability status or insurance coverage.

Home Based Primary Care (HBPC)

A VA physician supervises a health care team that visits the veteran at home. HBPC is designed for veterans with complex medical needs who have difficulty getting to a clinic regularly. The team typically includes a doctor, nurse, social worker, and may include rehabilitation therapists and a dietitian.

This isn't the same as home health care through Medicare. HBPC provides ongoing, coordinated primary care at home, not just short-term skilled visits. For veterans who qualify, it's one of the best programs the VA offers.

Adult Day Health Care

Veterans attend a structured daytime program that provides social activities, companionship, recreation, care, and support. It also gives family caregivers reliable daytime respite. Programs may be at VA facilities or contracted community adult day centers.

Community Living Centers (VA Nursing Homes)

Community Living Centers are VA-run nursing centers, designed to feel like home, that provide nursing-home-level care. In Texas, CLCs are located at larger VA medical centers including those in Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Temple.

CLCs serve veterans who need short-term rehabilitation (after surgery or hospitalization), long-term nursing care, hospice care, or respite care.

Community Nursing Home Program

The VA contracts with community (non-VA) nursing homes so veterans can get nursing home care near home. VA covers some of these long-term care services under standard VA health benefits for veterans signed up for VA health care, and a veteran may still need to pay a copay for some covered services.

Respite Care

All enrolled veterans are eligible for VA respite care if they meet the clinical criteria for the service and it's available, and through the VA Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers (PCAFC), eligible Primary Family Caregivers receive at least 30 days of respite care per year. Respite can be in-home (a substitute caregiver comes to the house, or the veteran attends an adult day health care program) or facility-based (the veteran stays temporarily in a CLC or community nursing home, available for a maximum of 30 days per calendar year). Contact the VA Caregiver Support Line at 1-855-260-3274.

For more on respite options, see our guide to respite care in Texas.

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

Texas State Veterans Homes

The Texas General Land Office's Veterans Land Board (VLB) operates Texas State Veterans Homes at 10 locations. They provide affordable, long-term care for Texas veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents, with Memory Care units at each home. The homes are Texas-owned and regulated by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Location Home
Amarillo Ussery-Roan
Big Spring Lamun-Lusk-Sanchez
Bonham Clyde W. Cosper
El Paso Ambrosio Guillen
Floresville Frank M. Tejeda
Fort Worth The Tuskegee Airmen
Houston Richard A. Anderson
McAllen Alfredo Gonzalez
Temple William R. Courtney
Tyler Watkins-Logan

State Veterans Homes accept VA per diem payments, Medicaid, Medicare, and private pay, and rates are typically lower than comparable private nursing homes. Admission is governed by Texas Administrative Code Title 40 and federal VA criteria, and eligible veterans with a 70% or higher service-connected disability rating may live at a Texas State Veterans Home at no cost. Contact the Texas GLO Veterans Land Board for availability and current rates.

VA Aid and Attendance

The Aid and Attendance pension is a monthly cash benefit for veterans (or surviving spouses) who need help with daily activities.

2026 Rates

Category Maximum a year Monthly equivalent
Veteran alone Up to $29,093 About $2,424
Veteran with spouse Up to $34,488 $2,874
Surviving spouse Up to $18,697 About $1,558

VA publishes these figures as Maximum Annual Pension Rates, in effect December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026, so a monthly amount is the yearly award divided by 12. Each additional dependent adds $2,984 a year, and two married veterans who both qualify are capped at $46,143 a year.

A Maximum Annual Pension Rate is a ceiling, not a payment. VA bases the award on the difference between the claimant's income for VA purposes and that limit, so a household with countable income receives less than the figures above.

Who Qualifies

To be eligible, the veteran must:

  • Have served during a wartime period
  • Have no dishonorable discharge, and meet at least one of these four: be at least 65 years old; 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. Any one branch is enough, so a wartime veteran under 65 who receives SSI qualifies without any adjudicated disability rating
  • Need another person to help with daily activities like bathing, feeding, and dressing, or meet one of VA's other aid and attendance criteria (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 a disability; or having eyesight limited to 5/200 or less in both eyes)
  • Have a net worth below $163,699. VA's net worth calculation counts the veteran's and their dependents' assets and income together, so comparing savings alone against that limit gives the wrong answer,

The VA enforces a 3-year look-back period on asset transfers.

How to Apply

Apply using VA Form 21-2680 (Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance), whose examination information section a medical examiner must fill out. That form covers Aid and Attendance added to either monthly compensation or pension benefits. The route described here is the pension route, the one VA describes with "You may be eligible for this benefit if you get a VA pension": on that route, a wartime veteran who is not already receiving VA pension also files Form 21P-527EZ (Application for Veterans Pension). A veteran who receives VA disability compensation rather than pension does not belong on 21P-527EZ, so confirm which benefit the veteran actually gets before filing. You can file online at VA.gov, by mail to the VA Pension Intake Center, or in person at a VA regional office. Asked how long a decision takes, VA's answer is "It depends," and it adds that it processes claims in the order it receives them unless a claim requires priority processing.

Don't do this alone. The Texas Veterans Commission and county Veterans Service Officers provide free help with VA claims and can significantly improve your chances of approval.

For the full application walkthrough, see our VA Aid and Attendance guide.

Veteran-Directed Care

The Veteran-Directed Care (VDC) program gives veterans a flexible budget to hire their own caregivers, including family members. The veteran (or their representative) decides who provides care, what services to purchase, and how to manage the budget.

VDC works similarly to Texas Medicaid's Consumer Directed Services option. A fiscal intermediary handles payroll and tax obligations. This is a good option for veterans who want control over their care and prefer family members as caregivers.

Contact your local VA medical center's social work department to ask about VDC availability in your area.

Community Care Through the MISSION Act

The MISSION Act (2018) expanded when veterans can receive care from community (non-VA) providers. You may be eligible for community care if:

  • The VA can't offer an appointment within 20 days (primary care/mental health) or 28 days (specialty care)
  • The drive to a VA facility exceeds 30 minutes (primary care) or 60 minutes (specialty care)
  • The care you need isn't available at any VA health facility
  • Community care is in your best medical interest

In May 2025, the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act (the "Dole Act") streamlined the best-medical-interest pathway by removing a second-review step, giving eligible veterans faster access to community care.

For Texas veterans in rural areas far from a VA medical center, the MISSION Act can be the difference between getting timely care and waiting months.

How VA Benefits Work with Medicare and Medicaid

VA benefits don't replace Medicare or Medicaid, keeping VA health care doesn't require enrolling in Medicare, and a veteran or surviving spouse can often receive VA pension and Medicaid at the same time., The two don't coordinate or pay each other, though. You choose which coverage to use each time you get care, and VA health care isn't creditable coverage for Medicare Part B, so putting off Part B while relying on the VA leaves a late-enrollment penalty you pay every year for the rest of your life.

  • VA + Medicare: Many veterans use both. Medicare covers care from non-VA providers, while VA covers care at VA facilities. You can't bill both for the same service, but having both gives you more options.
  • VA + Medicaid: Many veterans use both. Aid and Attendance can add income (capped at $34,488 a year, or $2,874 a month, for a veteran with a spouse) while Medicaid covers home care or nursing home costs. How VA pension income is counted toward Medicaid varies by program and state, so confirm the treatment with a benefits counselor before you plan around it.
  • State Veterans Homes accept VA, Medicaid, and Medicare, so these payment sources can layer together.

The interaction between these programs gets complicated. This is where a Veterans Service Officer or elder law attorney earns their value.

How to Get VA Senior Care Benefits in Texas

1
Step 1

Confirm VA health care enrollment

If the veteran isn't already enrolled in VA health care, apply at va.gov/health-care/how-to-apply. The VA assigns a priority group (1-8) based on service-connected disabilities, income, and other factors, and that group affects enrollment and what the veteran pays.

2
Step 2

Get free help

Don't file claims or applications alone. The Texas Veterans Commission (1-800-252-8387), your county Veterans Service Officer (every Texas county has one, found through the TVC website), and your local VA regional office in Houston or Waco all provide free assistance with VA claims.

3
Step 3

Gather records

You'll need the veteran's DD-214 (discharge papers), medical records documenting the need for care, and financial information. If you can't find the DD-214, the National Personnel Records Center can provide copies (request through va.gov).

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to be service-connected disabled to get VA long-term care?

Not for all programs. Veterans rated 50% or higher for a service-connected disability fall in Priority Group 1, and any veteran with a service-connected disability rated 10% or higher pays no copay for outpatient or inpatient care. Care tied to a service-connected condition requires no copay for any enrolled veteran, whatever their rating or priority group. Other enrolled veterans can still access many programs, depending on their priority group and available resources. Aid and Attendance doesn't require a service-connected disability at all. It requires wartime service, no dishonorable discharge, need for help with ADLs, and any one of four other conditions: being 65 or older, having a permanent and total disability, being a patient in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability, or receiving SSDI or SSI.

Can a veteran's spouse live in a State Veterans Home?

Yes. Texas State Veterans Homes provide affordable, long-term care for Texas veterans, their spouses, and Gold Star parents. Contact the specific home through the Texas GLO for current admission policies.

How long does it take to get Aid and Attendance approved?

VA's own answer to that question is "It depends." It works through claims in the order it receives them, unless a claim requires priority processing. Working with a Texas Veterans Commission claims representative or accredited VSO can reduce the chance of errors that cause delays. You can apply while your loved one is already receiving care.

Does the VA pay for assisted living?

The VA doesn't directly operate assisted living facilities, but Aid and Attendance is paid to the veteran as part of the monthly VA pension, and the household can put that money toward assisted living. The cost of the care itself can also count as a deductible medical expense when VA calculates the award, but only if the veteran is receiving health care or custodial care in the facility and either needs aid and attendance, is housebound, or a physician, physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, or clinical nurse specialist has stated in writing that they need to be in a protected environment. Veteran-Directed Care is a different tool: its flexible budget is for hiring and supervising workers who help a veteran live at home or in their community, so ask the VA social worker making the referral whether it fits an assisted living plan. And if the veteran qualifies for Medicaid, the STAR+PLUS HCBS waiver can cover care services in an assisted living facility.

Next Steps

If you're caring for a veteran who needs help, start by calling the Texas Veterans Commission at 1-800-252-8387. They can assess which benefits apply and help you file. Then look at the state side separately. If the veteran has a service-connected disability rating, the Texas disabled veteran property tax exemption can cut or erase the property tax on their homestead, and it's filed with the county appraisal district rather than the VA.

Learn More

VA BenefitsVA Aid and Attendance in TexasLearn about VA Aid and Attendance benefits in Texas for 2026. Covers eligibility, monthly rates up to $2,874, how to apply, and free help from Texas VSOs. CaregiverHow to Get Paid as a Family Caregiver in TexasLearn how to get paid as a family caregiver in Texas through Medicaid CDS, CAS, VA programs, and CMPAS. Covers pay rates, eligibility, and step-by-step process. CaregiverRespite Care in TexasFind respite care in Texas through Medicaid, VA benefits, and state programs. Learn about in-home, adult day care, and facility-based options for caregivers. VA BenefitsDisabled Veteran Property Tax Exemptions by StateMost states fully or partially exempt a service-connected disabled veteran's home from property tax. See how the three models work and find your state. MedicaidTexas Medicaid Programs for SeniorsTexas Medicaid programs for seniors 65+ include STAR+PLUS, CAS, HCBS waivers, and PACE. Find out what each one covers, who qualifies, and how to enroll. Care TypesHome Care vs Home Health in TexasHome care vs home health in Texas: what each covers, what home care costs, when Medicare and Medicaid pay, and how to find a licensed provider near you. Care TypesNursing Homes in TexasNursing homes in Texas in 2026: a semi-private room runs about $67,525/year, well below the national median. What it costs, how Medicaid pays, how to choose.
Your next step Find personalized help navigating VA senior care benefits in Texas 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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Expert eldercare guidance from Brevy's team of healthcare professionals and researchers.