What is Aid and Attendance?

Aid and Attendance is a VA benefit that adds a monthly payment to a VA pension for veterans and survivors who need help with daily activities. VA.gov says it can apply if you need another person to help with bathing, feeding or dressing, spend much of the day in bed because of illness, live in a nursing home because of lost mental or physical abilities, or have very limited eyesight.

You must first qualify for a VA pension. VA.gov says that means wartime service, no dishonorable discharge, income and net worth within limits, and being 65 or older or meeting disability or nursing home conditions. You must then need another person's help with daily activities, be largely confined to bed, live in a nursing home due to lost abilities, or have severely limited eyesight.

It depends on income. VA.gov says the pension pays the difference between your income for VA purposes and a limit set by Congress, the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, which is higher for people who qualify for Aid and Attendance. In VA's example, a veteran with a spouse and Aid and Attendance has a limit of $33,548; with $10,000 income, that pays $1,962 a month.

No. Aid and Attendance is added to the VA pension, and VA.gov bases pension eligibility on wartime service, discharge status, age or disability, and income and net worth limits rather than on a service-connected disability. The net worth limit from December 1, 2025 to November 30, 2026 is $163,699, and VA reviews asset transfers made in the three years before a claim.

Yes, if the veteran or survivor qualifies for a VA pension and dementia means they need another person's help with daily activities such as bathing, feeding and dressing, or they live in a nursing home because of lost mental abilities. VA.gov says you apply with VA Form 21-2680, which a medical examiner fills out, and nursing home residents also submit VA Form 21-0779.