As you look for financial assistance to help you access home care services, you may discover the VA Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits. These benefits are available to Veterans who receive VA pensions, but they are not the same VA benefit. In fact, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ website points out that you cannot receive both benefits at the same time. That’s why we’ve created this VA benefits guide to help our clients and prospective clients. So, let’s compare these two benefits and help you determine which one is right for your assisted home care needs.
Eligibility Requirements for Housebound and Aid and Attendance
VA Housebound benefits are designed to help permanently disabled Veterans receive the care they need while they are confined to their houses and even their beds, in some cases. To receive these VA pension benefits, you must have a single permanent disability that has been evaluated as 100% disabling and confines you to your home and may also render you bedridden. However, you can also qualify for these benefits if you have a 100% disabling permanent disability along with another permanent disability evaluated as at least 60% disabling.
VA Aid and Attendance benefits, however, are meant for Veterans who need assistance with the activities of daily living to maintain a good quality of life. These activities include bathing, grooming, dressing, cooking, medication reminders, and light housekeeping.
Financial Requirement for These Pension Benefits
Aid and Attendance and Housebound pension benefits both have income thresholds for Veterans who apply for this aid. However, the Aid and Attendance threshold is lower than the threshold for Housebound benefits. How are these thresholds determined? Congress sets the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, which is the pension rate you may receive based on your countable income, the amount of dependents you have, and other financial factors. The 2020 MAPR for a Veteran with no dependents who receives Housebound is $16,805. A Veteran with no dependents who receives Aid and Attendance has a 2020 MAPR of $22,939. However, the Housebound rate is lower because it’s based on a higher income rate than Aid and Attendance is. Both benefits have a three-year financial look-back period, which helps the VA determine if applicants show enough financial need to receive either benefit. Housebound is based on a higher maximum income level, which is why its pension is lower than that of Aid and Attendance.
Which Pension Benefit Does AVCC Work With?
AVCC works exclusively with the regular Aid and Attendance benefit, not the Housebound benefit. We work with this benefit because it’s more suited to providing the home care services Veterans need to maintain a good quality of life. However, if you need Housebound benefits to receive the senior care you need, we can point you in the right direction. While we don’t work directly with the Housebound benefit, we want our current and prospective clients to know about it and understand it. That way, they can apply for the Housebound benefit if it best suits their needs.
To receive VA Housebound pension benefits, you must have a single permanent disability that has been evaluated as 100% disabling and confines you to your home and may also render you bedridden. However, you can also qualify for these benefits if you have a 100% disabling permanent disability along with another permanent disability evaluated as at least 60% disabling.
Discover Your Eligibility for Pension Benefits Through AVCC
Reach out to us today to find out if you’re eligible for Aid and Attendance. We can also help you find the resources you need to access other VA pension benefits successfully.
