How to Find Home Care for Veterans

Veterans can access various long-term care options to help them live independently at home. Understanding the different types of services available can help veterans and their families choose the right support, like the following:

• Aid and Attendance (A&A)
• Homemaker & Home Health Aide Care
• Skilled Home Health Care
• Home-Based Primary Care
• Veteran-Directed Care
• Respite Care
• Telehealth

While all these care options are severely needed, an often overlooked VA benefit we’ll focus on is Aid and Attendance, which can severely help offset home care costs. In the meantime, visit the Dept. of Veterans Affairs site to learn more about these home and community-based services.

VA Aid and Attendance is a pension program offered by VA that provides financial assistance to eligible veterans and their surviving spouses. As the top benefit for helping Veterans afford and receive home care services, A&A can help cover the costs of in-home care, assisted living, or nursing home care, allowing individuals to receive the necessary support while maintaining their preferred living situation.

Aid and Attendance is the only VA pension benefit with a cash payout. When a Veteran or surviving spouse receives this benefit, they can use the funds for anything they want or need, including paying for home care services.

Not all Veterans are eligible for A&A. To qualify, the Veteran or surviving spouse must meet a set of criteria. These qualification requirements include the following:

• The Veteran who served must have done so for at least 90 consecutive days of active duty during a wartime period.
• The recipient needs someone else’s assistance to perform daily tasks, such as bathing and dressing.
• They need to stay in bed all day or most of the day.
• Their eyesight is limited to 5/200 or less, even with contact lenses or glasses, or they have a concentric visual field of five degrees or less.

Along with the standard requirements, the A&A recipient must meet specific financial qualifications. This ensures that the benefit goes to Veterans who genuinely need the monetary assistance. These limits include:

• Countable Income – Countable income considers how much the recipient earns. This income includes Social Security payments, retirement payments, and investments. Some expenses, such as non-reimbursable medical payments, can lower someone’s countable income.
• Maximum Annual Pension Rate (MAPR) – Congress sets the MAPR every year, and it’s the maximum payable pension amount. Every Veteran’s MAPR is different, and it has several financial factors, such as how many dependents one has or if they qualify for Aid and Attendance.
• Net Worth Limit – The Veteran’s net worth must fall below a limit Congress sets every year. This net worth includes the annual income of the Veteran and their spouse plus any additional assets, such as a house. From December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023, the net worth limit for VA pensions and Aid and Attendance is $150,538.

If a recipient receives a VA pension after meeting the first two financial requirements, the VA has to consider their net worth to determine their eligibility for Aid and Attendance. If their net worth falls below the current limit, they may qualify for the Aid and Attendance benefit.