Aid and Attendance is an add-on to the VA pension for a wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs another person’s help with everyday tasks, is bedridden, lives in a nursing home or has very limited eyesight12.
Nevada also has a consumer-protection law aimed at paid benefit consultants. This guide covers the federal rules briefly, then the Nevada pieces: who helps for free, the homes, and how Medicaid treats the pension.
2026 rates and who qualifies
| 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.
Most families compare their care bill with the right-hand column. For 2026 the ceiling is $29,093 a year for a single veteran, $34,488 for a veteran with a spouse or child and $18,697 for a surviving spouse34. The full rules are in our national Aid and Attendance guide.
Who qualifies, including edge cases
The federal rules are the same in every state. The veteran needs 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period (24 months or the full call-up for most who entered after Sept. 7, 1980), a discharge other than dishonorable, and a net worth under $163,699. Net worth means assets plus yearly income, and VA looks back 36 months for assets given away5673. For any care setting, the medical test is a need for help with daily activities or protective supervision, shown on VA Form 21-268089.
- Surviving spouses. A wartime veteran's surviving spouse can qualify based on their own care needs, using Form 21P-534EZ10.
- Under 65. Applicants younger than 65 also have to be permanently and totally disabled to get the pension.
- The home. A main home on a lot of up to two acres isn't counted in net worth11.
- Service-connected veterans. A veteran with a service-connected rating usually gets more from disability compensation. VA pays whichever is higher, not both.
Where Nevada families get free help
NDVS Veterans Advocacy and Support Teams
NDVS is the state agency for veterans, separate from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Its Veterans Advocacy and Support Team (VAST) offices have VA-accredited service officers who help write and submit claims, track them and appeal denials, at no cost12. The two busiest are VAST Las Vegas, in the VA hospital at 6900 N. Pecos Road, North Las Vegas, (702) 224-6025, and VAST Reno, in the VA Regional Office at 5460 Reno Corporate Drive, (775) 321-488012.
Outside the two big metros
Rural families don’t have to drive to Reno. NDVS lists offices in Fallon (William Pennington Life Center), Elko (McMullen Hall at the college), Pahrump, Winnemucca and Mesquite (inside the Vet Center). Service officers also work at both state veterans homes12. You can also send a question through the online Ask a VSO form.
Nevada's rule for paid consultants
Under NRS 417.135, anyone who charges to help you get veterans benefits must first give you a written disclosure on the state’s form, signed by you. The form says the same help is available free from veterans service officers and chartered service organizations. VA-accredited attorneys and agents are exempt1312. If someone asks for a fee and hasn’t shown you that form, treat it as a warning sign.
How it works in each Nevada care setting
- At home. Paid caregivers count as a medical expense. Nevada's median wage for home health and personal care aides was $16.19 an hour in May 2025, which is what aides earn, not what agencies charge14. See Aid and Attendance for home care in Nevada.
- Assisted living. Nevada's Assisted Living Waiver is limited to Clark County15. See Aid and Attendance for assisted living in Nevada.
- Memory care. See Aid and Attendance for memory care in Nevada.
- Nursing homes. See Aid and Attendance in a Nevada nursing home.
- State veterans homes. See Nevada state veterans homes.
A Nevada worked example
VA only subtracts care and medical costs above 5% of the basic pension rate, which is $872 a year for a single veteran in 2026163. Here’s the math for a widowed Army veteran in Henderson, who has $29,000 a year of income and $24,000 a year of care and medical costs. Countable income is $29,000 − ($24,000 − $872) = $5,872. The pension is the $29,093 ceiling minus that: $29,093 − $5,872 = $23,221 a year, or about $1,935 a month3. If costs climb to $29,872 or more, countable income reaches zero and the full ceiling is paid.
His care bill is a bit below his income, so he receives most of the ceiling. If he moves to assisted living and the bill rises past his income, he should report the new costs, and the award can go up to the full amount.
Medicaid and the pension in Nevada
Once Nevada Medicaid helps pay a nursing home bill, the resident keeps a $154 a month personal needs allowance. Most of their remaining income goes toward the cost of care17. That’s higher than many states allow. Separately, federal law cuts the VA pension to $90 a month for a veteran or surviving spouse with no dependents who’s on Medicaid in a nursing home18.
Nevada’s resource limit for nursing home and home-based waiver applicants is $2,000 for one person and $3,000 for a couple19. When only one spouse needs care, spousal impoverishment rules protect more for the spouse at home. Nevada gives every community spouse the federal maximum monthly maintenance needs standard without a court order, and housing costs above the federal shelter standard can be added17.
Nevada looks back 60 months for gifts, while VA’s pension look-back is 36 months. A transfer can affect one program and not the other207.
How it fits with other Nevada benefits
- Property tax. Veterans rated 60% or more for a permanent service-connected disability get a property tax exemption, as do some surviving spouses21. See Nevada property tax exemptions for disabled veterans.
- VA health care. VA Southern Nevada serves the Las Vegas area, and VA Sierra Nevada serves Reno and northern Nevada2223.
- Medicare. Premiums count as a medical expense for VA.
Common mistakes
- Paying a consultant without the disclosure form. Nevada requires it for paid benefit help13.
- Forgetting to tell VA about Medicaid. An overpaid pension has to be repaid.
- Waiting for a crisis. Pension is paid from the claim date. File an intent to file early.
How to apply in Nevada
- Get the medical evidence. A doctor fills out VA Form 21-2680. For a nursing home resident, the facility fills out Form 21-0779924.
- File the pension claim. Veterans file VA Form 21P-527EZ and surviving spouses file 21P-534EZ, along with income, asset and care-cost records2510.
- Book an NDVS Veterans Service Officer. Call VAST Las Vegas at (702) 224-6025 (inside the North Las Vegas VA hospital) or VAST Reno at (775) 321-4880 (in the VA Reno Regional Office). There are also offices in Fallon, Elko, Pahrump, Winnemucca and Mesquite, plus officers at both state veterans homes12.
- Ask about state benefits too. The officer can explain the property tax exemption and the state veterans homes26.