Maryland’s veterans department has a name for people who charge families to file VA claims: claim sharks. Its advice is to skip them, because the state’s own VA-accredited Benefits Specialists do the work free1. That’s the most important thing to know before applying for Aid and Attendance anywhere from Cumberland to Ocean City.
The benefit itself is federal, an addition to the VA pension for a wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs another person’s help, lives in a nursing home, or has severe vision loss23. Maryland’s part is the free help, Charlotte Hall Veterans Home and its Medicaid rules.
Free help, and a warning
DVMF Benefits Specialists
The Department of Veterans and Military Families runs a Service Program where VA-accredited Benefits Specialists help veterans, dependents and survivors with pension claims and with every VA appeal option, at no cost1. Its 16 offices run from Elkton and Salisbury to Frederick and Waldorf, and appointments are recommended1. DVMF warns about claim sharks, unaccredited people who charge for help with claims1.
Veterans Service Organizations
Accredited VSO representatives don’t charge either; confirm any name with VA’s accreditation search4.
Maryland's benchmark costs
The Maryland Department of Health sets the average amount payable for skilled nursing facility care at $12,501 a month, or $411 a day, as of July 1, 20255. For care at home, the state’s median home health and personal care aide wage was $18.29 an hour in May 2025, ahead of the national $17.21; agencies charge more than what aides earn67.
Assisted living and memory care have no official statewide price in Maryland, so ask each provider for written rates. Setting guides: assisted living, memory care, home care and nursing homes.
Will VA say yes?
A DVMF Benefits Specialist will ask about service first. VA wants 90 or more days of active duty, including at least a single day of wartime; if your parent entered after Sept. 7, 1980, the usual rule is 24 months or the entire call-up. The discharge must be other than dishonorable8.
Next comes money. Add countable assets to a year of income, and the total must sit at or below $163,699; anything transferred during the 36 months before filing gets reviewed. A primary residence on two acres or less stays out of the count91011.
Last is health. For any care setting, VA Form 21-2680 from a physician should show your parent can’t manage daily activities alone or must be shielded from everyday hazards1213. Under age 65, permanent and total disability is required too.
2026 pension ceilings
| Claimant | Basic | With Housebound | With A&A |
|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran, single | $17,441 | $21,313 | $29,093 |
| Veteran, married or with a child | $22,839 | $26,710 | $34,488 |
| Surviving spouse, single | $11,699 | $14,298 | $18,697 |
Yearly limits after a 2.8% COLA. Your payment is the limit minus countable income, paid monthly.
Care bills above 5% of the base rate are deducted from income first18. Full detail is in the national Aid and Attendance guide.
A Towson example
- Income. A widowed Army veteran in Towson receives $25,200 a year.
- Care costs. He pays $24,000 a year for care and medical expenses.
- VA's deductible. VA disregards the first $872 ($872, 5% of the base rate) and counts $23,12818.
- Countable income. $25,200 less $23,128 is $2,072.
- Award. The $29,093 ceiling less $2,072 gives $27,021 a year, near $2,251 per month16. If he buys more care hours, countable income falls and the award grows.
Net worth and gifts
VA’s 2026 net worth limit is $163,699, assets and annual income combined, with a 36-month transfer look-back91016. Maryland Medicaid looks back 60 months and divides any gift by the $12,501 average nursing facility cost, so a $50,000 gift costs about four months of Medicaid long-term care payment195. The penalties run separately.
Charlotte Hall Veterans Home
Maryland has one state veterans home, on 126 acres in St. Mary’s County, open since 1985. It runs a 126-bed assisted living program, a 318-bed skilled nursing program that includes a 16-bed women’s unit, and secure memory care units15. Some non-veteran spouses can be admitted15. See our Charlotte Hall guide.
Maryland Medicaid and the pension
The Community Options Waiver can pay for assisted living services, with an income limit of 300% of the SSI benefit and a registry wait20. Maryland’s income rules exclude up to $90 of a VA pension for a long-term care resident without a spouse or child21. Before applying, ask both your Benefits Specialist and the Medicaid caseworker how Aid and Attendance will be handled.
A federal rule kicks in at the Medicaid stage: if a veteran or surviving spouse who has no spouse or dependent child is on Medicaid in a Medicaid-approved nursing home, VA reduces the pension to $90 a month, and that $90 isn’t applied to the bill22. A Maryland nursing facility resident’s personal needs allowance is $106 a month5.
Maryland mistakes to avoid
Applying in Maryland
- Make a DVMF appointment. Benefits Specialists see clients by appointment at 16 offices. Ask them to file an intent to file on day one; that protects the effective date for up to a year while you gather documents1. More: how an intent to file works.
- Medical paperwork. Your parent's doctor completes VA Form 21-2680; a nursing facility completes 21-0779 for its residents1324.
- The application. Form 21P-527EZ if the veteran is applying, 21P-534EZ if a surviving spouse is, plus proof of income, assets and care costs2514.
- Handle the state side in parallel. Maryland Access Point, 1-844-627-5465, offers options counseling and the Community Options Waiver registry2620.