Veterans Home Care
The Aid and Attendance benefit is an increased monthly pension amount available through the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for veterans who require assistance for daily living. Aid and Attendance can pay for assistance such as a home care aide to help with: dressing, meal preparation, bathing, medication reminders, transferring to and from bed and other tasks. The Aid and Attendance benefit is also available to a veteran’s spouse or surviving spouse.
Financial Considerations for Aid and Attendance
A veteran who has been denied other VA pensions may still qualify for the pension with Aid and Attendance benefit. Somebody may have been denied a pension because his disability is not related to his military service. With Aid and Attendance, the disability doesn’t have to be service-related. Someone may have been denied a pension due to their assets or income level. That doesn’t mean they wouldn’t qualify for the pension with the Aid and Attendance benefit. They may not, but the asset and income threshold level increases when applying for Aid and Attendance. For Aid and Attendance, the VA considers your financial situation compared to your medical expenses.
Medical Requirements for Aid and Attendance
A veteran or surviving spouse must meet one of the following medical conditions:
Need Assistance
- You need assistance from another person to take care of some basic tasks of everyday life. This can include feeding, getting dressed, going to the bathroom, staying safe in your daily environment, bathing, and more.
Bedridden
- You can’t get out of bed or have some type of disability that requires you to remain bedridden for a specific length of time.
Skilled Nursing Facility
- You have been admitted to a nursing home due to a mental or physical incapacity.
Vision Loss
- Your vision can only be corrected to no better than 5/200 visual acuity or less in both eyes. You may also have what is known as a concentric contraction of the visual field to five degrees or less.
Military service requirements for Aid and Attendance
A veteran must meet these military service requirements to qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit:
- Received an honorable discharge from service
- Served in one of the major branches of the US military, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Marines.
- Served at least 90 days of active duty service with at least one of those days of service during wartime: World War II, the Korean War or the Vietnam Conflict.
- Gulf War veterans must have served active duty for two years.
For more information and to learn about the VetAssist Program, contact Veteran’s Home Care, at (888) 314-6075
