VA Aid & Attendance Pension (wartime veterans + surviving spouses)
Federal Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) pension benefit for wartime veterans or surviving spouses who need assistance with Activities of Daily Living or are housebound. Not Medicaid — a separate federal program with its own rules. 2026 max benefit: ~$2,300/month single veteran, ~$2,727/month veteran + spouse, ~$1,479/month surviving spouse. Includes 3-year lookback on transfers (effective October 2018).
**VA Aid & Attendance (A&A)** is a federal Department of Veterans Affairs pension benefit — distinct from Medicaid — for wartime veterans or surviving spouses who need assistance with at least two Activities of Daily Living or are housebound. It's paid monthly, tax-free, and can be used for any care (in-home, assisted living, memory care, nursing home). Many families never know it exists.
**Eligibility requirements**:
1. **Wartime service**: at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a declared wartime period. Current recognized periods: WWII (Dec 7, 1941 - Dec 31, 1946); Korean War (Jun 27, 1950 - Jan 31, 1955); Vietnam War (Feb 28, 1961 for veterans who served in Vietnam; otherwise Aug 5, 1964 - May 7, 1975); Gulf War (Aug 2, 1990 - present, including post-9/11 service). Discharge must not be dishonorable.
2. **Medical need**: either (a) assistance with ADLs (the "Aid & Attendance" rating), or (b) housebound status (a lower benefit tier).
3. **Income and asset tests**: 2025 hard asset cap ~$159,240 (adjusts annually with Social Security COLA). Asset cap treats net-worth broadly (cash, investments, real estate except primary residence). Income limit depends on filing status but **"unreimbursed medical expenses"** (UMEs) reduce countable income — which is how most A&A recipients qualify despite modest Social Security and pension income.
4. **3-year lookback on asset transfers** (effective October 18, 2018). Before that, there was no lookback — an immediate crisis-planning transfer could qualify the veteran. Now, transfers to avoid the asset cap produce a penalty period.
**2026 maximum benefits (Dec 1, 2025 - Nov 30, 2026, per VA MAPR schedule)**: single veteran with A&A rating ~$2,300/month ($27,609/year); veteran with A&A + one dependent ~$2,727/month ($32,729/year); surviving spouse with A&A ~$1,479/month ($17,743/year). Housebound rating is a lower tier.
**Veterans Asset Protection Trust (VAPT)**: an irrevocable trust used to park excess assets at least 3 years before A&A application. Similar structure to a MAPT but tuned to VA's different asset rules.
**Critical warning**: the "unaccredited veteran-benefit consultant" space is rife with fraud. Use only accredited Veterans Service Organizations (VSOs) — the American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans (DAV), Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS), or the WV Department of Veterans Assistance. They provide free assistance. Unaccredited "benefit planners" charging fees are usually selling annuity products and a transfer strategy that triggers the 3-year lookback. VA OIG has increased enforcement against unaccredited planners since 2022.
Tagged 🟡 — application is form-based (Form 21P-527EZ, 21P-534EZ for survivors) but intricate. Work with an accredited VSO (free) or a VA-accredited elder-law attorney. Do not use an unaccredited "veteran benefit planner."
State-specific notes
38 CFR Part 3; 38 U.S.C. § 1521. 2018 rule change added 3-year transfer lookback and tightened net-worth methodology. A&A benefit is tax-free and does not count as income for Medicaid purposes (dual eligibility possible but income-coordinated).
Virginia has a large veteran population and robust VSO network. Virginia Department of Veterans Services (VDVS) runs state offices across the Commonwealth with accredited benefits counselors available at no cost. Virginia has no state income tax on VA pension benefits.
West Virginia has one of the highest veteran densities per capita in the US. WV Department of Veterans Assistance provides accredited benefits counselors free of charge. WV does not tax VA pension benefits at the state level.
VA Aid & Attendance is a wholly federal benefit under 38 C.F.R. §§ 3.351-3.352 with no Alabama-level variance, but Alabama has one of the highest wartime-veteran densities in the country making the benefit heavily used. The Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs (va.alabama.gov) has accredited county Veterans Service Officers who assist with applications at no charge. Alabama does NOT tax VA benefits at the state level.