THE 'AID & ATTENDANCE' Pension from the VA
Veteran's Pension
The Aid and Attendance (A&A) Pension provides benefits for veterans and surviving spouses who require the regular attendance of another person to assist in eating, bathing, dressing and undressing or taking care of the needs of nature. It also includes individuals who are blind or a patient in a nursing home because of mental or physical incapacity. Assisted care in an assisting living facility also qualifies.
To be eligible for the Pension a Veteran must:
1. Served 90 consecutive days with at least one day during wartime:
Periods of War:
World War II December 7, 1941 through December 31, 1946
Korean Conflict June 27, 1950 through January 31, 1955
Vietnam Era August 5, 1964 through May 7, 1975; for veterans who served “in country” before August 5, 1964, February 28, 1961 through May 7, 1975
Gulf War August 2, 1990 through a date to be set by law or Presidential Proclamation
2. Been not Dishonorably Discharged
3. Be 100% Disabled or over Age 65
To qualify for A&A, the Veteran or widow must satisfy three tests. The first test is the Medical Needs Test. It needs to be established by your physician that you require daily assistance by others to dress, undress, bathing, cooking, eating, taking on or off of prosthetics, leave home etc. You DO NOT have to require assistance with all of these. There simply needs to be adequate medical evidence that you cannot function completely on your own.
The second test is the Asset Test. The Asset Test As a general rule household assets cannot exceed $155,356 (2024). A personal residence on less than 2 acres of land,, personal property and automobiles for personal use are exempted from the asset test.
The last test, the Income Test, the household income of the veteran or the surviving spouse cannot exceed the Maximum Allowable Pension Rate (MAPR) for that category of application. As an example, using rates for 2024, a husband and spouse with no medical rating cannot have a combined income of more than $32,729 a year from all sources. As another example, a single surviving spouse with an "aid and attendance" medical rating cannot make more than $21,166 a year from all sources. The high cost of medical and non-medical expenses associated with long term care such as home care, assisted living or nursing home care, however, are usually the trigger that allows medical deductions to qualify a veteran household for Pension. That is why only 4.7% of all eligible individuals are actually receiving Pension. Other eligibles don't know about this special provision allowing them to meet the income test or they are currently not in need of long term medical care. The household income can be reduced to meet the income test under certain special conditions. Households earning $2,000 to $6,000 a month or more might still qualify even though their income does not meet the income test. The A&A Pension can provide up to $27,609 a year to a veteran, $21,166 a year to a surviving spouse, or $32,729 a year to a couple (2024 rates).
