Most older veterans want to stay home, and paying for help is usually what makes that possible. Aid and Attendance turns those costs into a larger monthly pension.
Here’s how it works with 2026 figures.
Does the VA pay for in-home care?
Two different VA routes can help. VA health care offers home programs to enrolled veterans who need them, such as homemaker and home health aide services and Veteran-Directed Care, where available12. Separately, Aid and Attendance pays a monthly benefit the family can spend on any help, and the cost of that help raises the payment34.
How VA counts home care
Payments to an in-home attendant for help with daily activities count as medical expenses, as long as pay matches the hours worked. The attendant must be a licensed provider unless the person needs Aid and Attendance or is housebound, or a clinician states in writing that the care is needed4. That means a paid daughter, neighbor or private aide can count.
The national median wage for home health and personal care aides was $17.21 an hour in May 20255. At 20 hours a week, that’s about $17,898 a year in wages; agencies bill more.
Who qualifies
Aid and Attendance is added to the wartime Veterans Pension or Survivors Pension. The person must meet the service, income and net worth rules (net worth at or under $163,699 through November 30, 2026), and need help with daily activities, be bedridden, live in a nursing home because of lost abilities, or have severely limited eyesight637.
2026 Aid and Attendance amounts
| Household | Basic pension | With Housebound | With Aid and Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran, no dependents | $17,441 | $21,313 | $29,093 |
| Veteran with a spouse or child | $22,839 | $26,710 | $34,488 |
| Surviving spouse, no dependents | $11,699 | $14,298 | $18,697 |
These are yearly ceilings, not what everyone gets. VA subtracts your countable income from the ceiling and pays the difference in monthly installments.
Source: VA pension rate tables78, 2.8% cost-of-living increase effective December 1, 2025.
A worked example
A widowed Army veteran has $22,000 a year in income and pays an aide 20 hours a week at the national median wage, about $17,898 a year5. VA subtracts $17,898 − $872 = $17,026, leaving countable income of $4,974. With Aid and Attendance, his pension is $29,093 − $4,974 = $24,119 a year, about $2,009 a month97.
Paying a family caregiver through VA
Veteran-Directed Care gives some enrolled veterans a flexible budget to hire their own helpers, which can include family members or neighbors2. Veterans rated 70% or more service connected may qualify for the caregiver stipend program10. See Veteran-Directed Care and the caregiver stipend.
How to apply
- File an intent to file. It protects the start date while you gather records11.
- Doctor's statement. VA Form 21-2680 documents the need for help12.
- Pension application. VA Form 21P-527EZ for veterans or 21P-534EZ for surviving spouses, online, by mail to the Pension Intake Center, PO Box 5365, Janesville, WI 53547-5365, or at a regional office31314.
- Care records. Agency invoices, or a caregiver agreement and payment log for a private or family aide.
- Report care costs. VA Form 21P-8416, the Medical Expense Report, with invoices or a care contract15.
Common mistakes and denial reasons
How this interacts with other benefits
- VA health care: a veteran receiving pension is placed in priority group 5, and one receiving Aid and Attendance or Housebound in priority group 417.
- Travel pay: pension recipients can get VA travel pay, with the deductible waived1819.
- Medicaid nursing home care: pension is generally reduced to $90 a month for a veteran without dependents in a Medicaid-covered nursing home20.
- Burial: a veteran receiving pension at death can qualify for VA burial and plot allowances21.