Aid and Attendance is an extra amount on top of a VA pension for wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need another person’s help, are bedridden, live in a nursing home or have very limited eyesight12.
For Arkansas families the big local questions are who will file it for free and how it squares with DHS long-term care Medicaid. This page covers both.
2026 rates and the basic tests
| 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 tables34, 2.8% cost-of-living increase effective December 1, 2025.
Three federal tests apply: wartime service with at least 90 days on active duty, a discharge that isn’t dishonorable, and net worth below $163,699563. Our national guide explains each one.
- Edge case: a parent who moved in with you from another state. VA doesn't care, but DHS Medicaid and the state homes look at Arkansas residence, so settle the move before applying for those.
- Edge case: a surviving spouse who remarried. Remarriage generally ends survivor status for pension; ask your CVSO before filing.
- Edge case: compensation already paid. A veteran with a service-connected rating gets the higher of compensation or pension, not both.
Who files for free in Arkansas
County veterans service officers
Arkansas is a county-based state for claims help. Each county keeps its own veterans service officer, who serves at the pleasure of the county judge and works under ADVA’s supervision. They advise claimants, keep the VA forms and help collect supporting evidence for pension, compensation and other benefits, without charge and whether or not you belong to any group7.
Arkansas Department of Veterans Affairs
ADVA was created in 1923 and runs the statewide service officer network, two state veteran cemeteries and two state veterans homes. Its office is at 501 Woodlane Street in Little Rock, 501-683-17878. ADVA’s old website address no longer works; the state portal page is the current official listing8.
What care costs in Arkansas
Arkansas’s median wage for home health and personal care aides was $13.30 an hour in May 2025, against $17.21 nationally910. That’s what aides are paid, not what an agency bills.
Arkansas doesn’t publish an average private-pay nursing home price. Its Medicaid transfer divisor, $9,110 a month from April 2026, is built from Medicaid nursing facility rates, so treat it as a penalty number and not a price1112. Get written quotes when comparing Arkansas assisted living.
Aid and Attendance and Arkansas Medicaid
Arkansas uses the same financial rules for nursing facility Medicaid, the Living Choices assisted living waiver, ARChoices home care and PACE. In 2026 an applicant’s income can be up to $2,982 a month (spouses’ and children’s income isn’t counted) and countable resources up to $2,000; the home and one vehicle are excluded. Above the income line, an applicant can qualify by setting up an irrevocable income trust, known as a Miller trust1312. When one spouse needs care, the other may keep a share of the couple’s resources up to $162,66013. Apply online at access.arkansas.gov, at your county DHS office, or call 1-855-372-1084; the paper form is DCO-00951312.
Arkansas DHS has a rule that helps veterans: VA Aid and Attendance and VA reimbursements for unusual or continuing medical expenses are left out when DHS checks income for long-term care Medicaid, and they aren’t taken toward the nursing home bill12. So a pension raised by care costs doesn’t usually push a parent over Arkansas’s $2,982 line13.
State veterans homes
| Home | Address | Phone | Licensed beds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arkansas State Veterans Home at North Little Rock | 2401 John Ashley Drive, North Little Rock 72114 | 501-683-1406 | 96 |
| Arkansas Veterans Home at Fayetteville | 1179 North College Avenue, Fayetteville 72703 | 479-444-7001 | 90 |
Source: Arkansas DHS facility profiles1415
Both are skilled nursing facilities certified for Medicaid1415. See Arkansas state veterans homes.
An Arkansas example
Here is how the numbers work for a widowed Army veteran in Jonesboro, who has $24,000 a year in income and spends $21,000 a year on care and medical bills. VA ignores the first $872 of those costs (5% of the basic rate for a veteran alone)163, so $20,128 is deducted and countable income falls to $3,872. Subtracting that from the $29,093 ceiling leaves $25,221 a year, roughly $2,101 a month3. At $24,872 or more in yearly care costs, the full $29,093 is paid.
His daughter books the county service officer, who files the claim with the assisted living statement attached. Because DHS ignores Aid and Attendance in its income test, the pension won’t count against him if he later needs Medicaid12.
Mistakes to avoid
How to apply
- Start with an intent to file. Form 21-0966 (or a call to VA) sets the date benefits can be paid from, and gives you a year to finish1718.
- Collect the medical exam. Form 21-2680 from a doctor, or Form 21-0779 from a nursing home1920.
- Send the application. 21P-527EZ (veteran) or 21P-534EZ (surviving spouse), with bank, income and care-cost records2122.
- Sit down with your county veterans service officer. Ask your county judge's office or courthouse for the CVSO; they keep the VA forms and help gather evidence at no charge. ADVA's main line is 501-683-178778.
Pages by care setting
- Assisted living. Aid and Attendance for assisted living in Arkansas.
- Home care. Home care in Arkansas.
- Memory care. Memory care in Arkansas.
- Nursing homes. Nursing homes in Arkansas.