Ask a veteran about his service and you may get a good story. Ask whether he’s checked into VA help for in-home care, and you’re more likely to get a shrug and “that’s for guys who need it more than me.” Many veterans and surviving spouses who could qualify for help never apply, either because they don’t know these benefits exist or because they assume they won’t qualify.
With Veterans Day around the corner, this guide walks through the main VA benefits that can help pay for care at home: the Aid and Attendance and Housebound pension benefits, VA’s own in-home care programs, and support for family caregivers. It also covers how each one generally works and how to get started.
Two Different Kinds of VA Help
VA home care help generally comes from two different parts of the VA, and it helps to keep them separate:
- Cash benefits through VA pension: Aid and Attendance and Housebound are monthly amounts added to a VA pension. The money goes to the veteran or surviving spouse, who can use it toward care, including paying an agency or a private caregiver.
- Care services through VA health care: Programs like Homemaker and Home Health Aide care and Veteran Directed Care provide or fund in-home help directly for veterans enrolled in VA health care.
A veteran may be able to use both at the same time, depending on eligibility.
Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits
Aid and Attendance (A&A) and Housebound are add-ons to the VA pension, a needs-based benefit for wartime veterans and their surviving spouses with limited income and assets. A veteran can receive one or the other, but not both at the same time.
Who May Qualify for Aid and Attendance
According to VA.gov, a person receiving a VA pension may qualify for A&A if at least one of these applies:
- They need another person’s help with daily activities like bathing, eating, or dressing.
- They have to stay in bed, or spend much of the day in bed, because of illness.
- They live in a nursing home because of a loss of mental or physical abilities related to a disability.
- Their eyesight is severely limited, as defined by the VA.
Who May Qualify for Housebound
The Housebound benefit is for pension recipients who mostly stay at home because of a permanent disability. It pays less than A&A and is often a fit for veterans who are largely confined to home but don’t need regular hands-on help.
Basic VA Pension Requirements
Because A&A and Housebound are added to a VA pension, the person generally needs to qualify for the pension first. According to VA’s pension eligibility page, that typically means:
- Wartime service, such as at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a recognized wartime period for those who entered service before September 8, 1980 (later service has different length requirements).
- A discharge other than dishonorable.
- Being age 65 or older, or having a permanent and total disability, or meeting one of the other conditions VA lists.
- Yearly income and net worth within the limits Congress sets.
Surviving spouses of wartime veterans may qualify through the Survivors Pension, which also has A&A and Housebound add-ons. Surviving spouses generally need to be unmarried since the veteran’s death and meet the same type of income and net worth limits.
How Much Aid and Attendance Pays
The VA sets a Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) for each situation. Rates adjust each December 1, and these are the rates in effect from December 1, 2025:
- Veteran with no dependents, with A&A: up to $29,093 a year (about $2,424 a month).
- Veteran with one dependent, with A&A: up to $34,488 a year (about $2,874 a month).
- Veteran with no dependents, with Housebound: up to $21,313 a year (about $1,776 a month).
- Surviving spouse with no dependents, with A&A: up to $18,697 a year (about $1,558 a month), per VA’s survivors pension rates.
These are maximums. The VA pays the difference between the MAPR and the person’s countable yearly income, so most people receive less than the maximum. For December 2025 through November 2026, the VA’s net worth limit is $163,699. Net worth generally includes savings and investments but excludes the home, car, and most household furnishings.
Why In-Home Care Costs Can Raise the Benefit
This is the part many families miss. Unreimbursed medical expenses, including in-home care costs, can be subtracted from income for VA purposes, as long as they’re above a small threshold (5% of the MAPR). Families report these costs on VA Form 21P-8416, the Medical Expense Report.
Here’s an illustrative example, not a benefit estimate. Say a veteran with no dependents has $24,000 a year in income and pays $15,600 a year for in-home care. Using VA’s published threshold of $872 for a veteran with no dependents, about $14,728 of those care costs could reduce his countable income to roughly $9,272. His A&A pension would then be about $19,821 a year, or roughly $1,650 a month. Actual results depend on the VA’s review of each claim.
The Look-Back Rule
Since 2018, the VA has reviewed assets transferred for less than fair value during the 36 months before a pension application. According to a VA announcement of the rule, transfers that would have put net worth over the limit can lead to a penalty period of up to five years. Families thinking about moving assets may want to consult an elder law attorney first.
VA In-Home Care Programs
For veterans enrolled in VA health care, the VA also offers in-home services directly. These programs are generally available to enrolled veterans who meet clinical criteria, though availability varies by location, and a copay may apply depending on service-connected disability status.
Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care
Through Homemaker and Home Health Aide Care, trained aides from VA-contracted community agencies come to the veteran’s home to help with:
- Bathing, dressing, grooming, and using the bathroom.
- Eating and moving from one place to another.
- Errands like grocery shopping.
Aides aren’t nurses, but a registered nurse assesses the veteran’s needs and oversees the care. Visits can range from occasional to several times a week, and the program can also give family caregivers a break.
Veteran Directed Care
Veteran Directed Care gives eligible veterans a flexible budget for in-home help and lets them choose and hire their own caregivers, which the VA notes can include a family member or neighbor. It’s available in many but not all areas.
Respite Care
The VA’s respite care program gives family caregivers a break, either through a home health aide coming to the house, adult day health care, or a short stay in a VA Community Living Center or community nursing home.
For any of these programs, the VA suggests starting with a VA social worker, who can assess needs and help arrange services.
Support for Family Caregivers of Veterans
Family members caring for a veteran with serious service-connected needs may qualify for the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers, which can include a monthly stipend, training, respite, and possible health coverage. Eligibility generally requires a VA disability rating of 70% or higher, among other criteria. Our guide to paying a family member to be a caregiver covers this program alongside Medicaid options.
The VA Caregiver Support Line, 1-855-260-3274, is available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, for any family caregiver of a veteran.
How to Apply
For Aid and Attendance or Housebound
- Veterans apply for pension using VA Form 21P-527EZ, online at VA.gov, by mail, or at a VA regional office. Surviving spouses use VA Form 21P-534EZ.
- A&A and Housebound generally also use VA Form 21-2680, which a medical examiner completes. Veterans in a nursing home also submit VA Form 21-0779.
- Report in-home care and other medical costs on VA Form 21P-8416.
- VA Form 21-0966, an intent to file, can lock in an earlier effective date while paperwork is gathered, as VA’s pension application page explains.
For VA In-Home Care Programs
- The veteran is generally expected to be enrolled in VA health care.
- Ask the veteran’s VA primary care team or a VA social worker about Homemaker and Home Health Aide care, Veteran Directed Care, or respite.
Getting Free Help With a Claim
Veterans and families don’t have to file alone. According to VA.gov, the services of an accredited Veterans Service Organization (VSO) representative on VA benefit claims are always free. Accredited attorneys and claims agents can charge fees, so families may want to confirm accreditation and any costs up front, especially if someone offers to “guarantee” a benefit for a fee.
Putting VA Benefits to Work
VA benefits often cover part of the cost of care rather than all of it, so many families combine them with other resources. Our guide on how to pay for in-home care explains how VA benefits fit with Medicaid, long-term care insurance, and private pay. If your family is deciding how to use A&A dollars, our comparison of hiring a private caregiver or a home care agency can help, and your local Area Agency on Aging can point you toward other help in your community.
When you’re ready to compare care options, you can find in-home care providers near you in the Senioridy directory, and ask each one whether it has experience working with veterans and VA benefits.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or tax advice. VA pension rates and net worth limits adjust each December 1, and program eligibility, availability, and copays are subject to change, so always confirm current details with the VA or an accredited representative. If Medicare is also part of a veteran’s coverage, Medicare Advantage plans may offer benefits that differ from Original Medicare; for free, personalized Medicare guidance, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) counselor. For questions about asset transfers or planning, consult a licensed elder law attorney or a qualified financial professional.