Q. Who is eligible for the Aid and Attendance pension?
A. The Aid and Attendance and Housebound pensions are non-service-connected pensions, which are for veterans whose disability or death was not caused by or aggravated in the line of duty in the active military. These pensions are not to be confused with VA service-connected disability compensation payments, which are for veterans whose disability was caused by an illness or combat-related injury while in the line of duty in the active military.
If you are a wartime service veteran, you may be entitled to receive an Aid and Attendance pension or a Housebound pension if you meet the following eligibility requirements:
Annual family net income (income minus expenses) is below a yearly limit set by law. Effective December 1, 2009, the annual net income limits are as follows:
Requirement A. Aid and Attendance pension
• Wartime service veteran with no dependents: below $19,736
• Wartime service veteran with one dependent: below $23,396
Housebound pension
• Wartime service veteran with no dependents: below $14,457
• Wartime service veteran with one dependent: below $18,120
• Note: A veteran with one dependent is usually a veteran living with a spouse.
Note: The VA reduces countable income by subtracting the medical expenses associated with out-of-pocket costs such as assisted living or home care. Many veterans and surviving spouses have negative net income and meet this income requirement.
Requirement B. No set limit has been established on how much net worth (assets minus debts) a wartime service veteran and his or her dependents can have, but net worth cannot be excessive. Generally, net worth must be less than $80,000. (Assets do not include one's primary home and first car.) The decision as to whether net worth is excessive depends on the facts of each individual case.
Requirement C. A wartime service veteran must be permanently and totally disabled. For VA pension purposes, permanent and total disability means that with reasonable certainty the veteran will not be able to maintain a substantially gainful job due to his or her disability. The disability must be non-service-connected and not due to willful misconduct. Nonservice-connected means that the disability must not have been caused or aggravated by military service.
Requirement D. The veteran must have care-needs requirements. To meet these requirements, a veteran typically receives care in an assisted living facility or receives non-medical home care services. A physician must document the need for these caregiver services.
Requirement E. The veteran must have had ninety days or more of active military service, at least one day of which was served during official wartime. To have served during wartime, the veteran did not need to see combat. For example, the veteran may have served in Alaska during World War II and still be eligible.
Note: Veterans who entered active duty after September 7, 1980, generally must have served 24 months or the full period for which called or ordered to active duty. There are exceptions to this rule; check with a veteran service officer (VSO) for details.
Requirement F. The veteran's discharge must be honorable or general and not be due to willful misconduct.