VA Benefits for Home Care: Aid and Attendance, Caregiver Programs and More

Does the VA pay for home care?

Sometimes. The VA runs several programs that can help with home care costs, and each one has its own rules. One adds money to a pension. Others provide aides, a budget, or support for a family caregiver.

Most families first hear about “Aid and Attendance.” It is the best known, but it is not the only option. The table below shows the main choices.

Medicare generally does not pay for ongoing help with bathing and dressing at home. Our guide on what Medicare doesn’t cover explains the gap these programs help fill.

What is VA Aid and Attendance?

Aid and Attendance is a monthly payment added to a VA pension. It is for qualified Veterans and survivors who need help with daily life. It is not a separate benefit you can get on its own.

VA says you may be eligible if you get a VA pension and at least one of these is true:

• You need another person to help you with daily activities like bathing, feeding and dressing.
• You stay in bed, or spend a large part of the day in bed, because of illness.
• You are a patient in a nursing home because of a loss of mental or physical abilities.
• Your eyesight is very limited. VA sets the test at 5/200 or less in both eyes with correction, or a visual field of 5 degrees or less.

Daily help with bathing, feeding and dressing is what care professionals call activities of daily living. Read more in our glossary entry on the Aid and Attendance benefit.

Who qualifies for the VA pension that Aid and Attendance needs?

You need to qualify for the Veterans Pension first. VA’s pension rules cover service, age or disability, and money.

Service. VA lists wartime service rules. They depend on when you started active duty. In general, you served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during wartime if you started before September 8, 1980. Later service has a 24-month rule with exceptions. You also must not have a dishonorable discharge.

Age or disability. You must meet at least one of these:

• You are at least 65.
• You have a permanent and total disability.
• You are in a nursing home for long-term care because of a disability.
• You get Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income.

Income and net worth. Your yearly family income and net worth must be under limits set by Congress. From December 1, 2025, to November 30, 2026, VA’s net worth limit is $163,699. Net worth includes assets and income for VA purposes, and your spouse’s too. It does not include your main home, your car or basic home furnishings.

Check VA’s pages for the exact service dates. They change by era, and one wrong assumption can cost months.

How much does Aid and Attendance pay?

VA pays the gap between a maximum rate and your income for VA purposes. The maximum rate is called the Maximum Annual Pension Rate, or MAPR. VA raises it every December.

These are VA’s maximum yearly rates, effective December 1, 2025. They are 2026 rates.

The monthly numbers are our estimates. We divided each yearly rate by 12. For example, $29,093 / 12 = about $2,424.

Your actual payment is lower if you have income. VA gives this example: a Veteran with a spouse and a combined yearly income of $10,000, who qualifies for Aid and Attendance, has a MAPR of $33,548. The pension is $23,548 for the year, or $1,962 a month.

VA lets you deduct unreimbursed medical expenses above 5% of your MAPR from income for VA purposes. Ask VA or an accredited representative whether your home care costs count.

For scale, CareScout’s 2025 Cost of Care Survey reports a national median of $35 an hour for a non-medical caregiver. At 20 hours a week, that is $35 x 20 x 52 / 12 = about $3,033 a month. That is our estimate. So Aid and Attendance can cover part of care, not all of it. See what home care costs in your state.

What is the Housebound allowance?

The Housebound allowance is a smaller extra payment for pension recipients who spend most of their time at home because of a permanent disability. VA says you cannot get Aid and Attendance and Housebound at the same time.

The 2026 maximum rate for a Veteran with no dependents and Housebound status is $21,313 a year. With one dependent it is $26,710. A Veteran who qualifies for Aid and Attendance gets a higher maximum than one who qualifies only for Housebound.

How do I apply for Aid and Attendance?

You can apply online, by mail or in person. A medical examiner must complete part of the application.

1. Confirm the Veteran meets the pension rules for service, age or disability, and net worth.
2. Gather income and asset information for the Veteran and spouse.
3. Ask a doctor or other medical examiner to complete the examination section of VA Form 21-2680.
4. If the Veteran lives in a nursing home, also complete VA Form 21-0779.
5. Submit online at VA.gov, mail to the Pension Intake Center in Janesville, WI, or bring it to a VA regional office.
6. Keep copies of everything you send.

VA says it processes claims in the order it receives them. It does not give a fixed timeline on that page. A VA-accredited representative, such as one from a Veterans Service Organization, can help with the paperwork. VA’s forms mention these representatives (Form 21-22).

What is the three-year look-back?

VA reviews assets a Veteran transferred in the three years before the claim. If you transferred assets for less than fair market value, and those assets would have pushed your net worth over the limit, VA can impose a penalty period of up to five years. No pension is paid in that time.

This is why families should not move money around before applying. Talk to an elder law attorney first. See also our glossary entry on the look-back period.

What is VA Homemaker and Home Health Aide care?

Homemaker and Home Health Aide care sends a trained aide to the Veteran’s home to help with daily activities. VA arranges it. The aides work for an organization with a VA contract. They are not nurses, but a registered nurse supervises and helps assess needs.

VA says all enrolled Veterans can qualify if they are eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria, and the service is available. Services vary by location. A copay may apply, based on service-connected disability status.

Examples of help VA lists include eating, dressing, grooming, bathing, using the bathroom, moving around and grocery shopping. An aide might visit several times a week or only now and then. VA also lists respite care at home as a use. A home health aide here is the role VA describes, not a medical provider.

Ask a VA social worker what is offered near you.

What is Veteran-Directed Care?

Veteran-Directed Care gives a Veteran a budget for services. The Veteran, or a representative, manages it with a counselor’s help. Veterans hire their own workers. VA says that can include a family member or neighbor.

Eligibility mirrors aide care. The Veteran must be enrolled, eligible for community care, meet the clinical criteria and live where the program is offered. VA says it is for Veterans who need personal care help, who are isolated, or whose caregiver feels burden.

What is the VA family caregiver program?

The Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers supports a family caregiver of a seriously disabled Veteran. VA pays an approved Primary Family Caregiver a monthly stipend.

Both of you must qualify.

• The Veteran needs a VA disability rating of 70% or higher, must be enrolled in VA health care, and needs at least 6 months of continuous in-person personal care.
• The caregiver must be 18 or older. The caregiver must be a spouse, child, parent, stepfamily member or extended family member, or live with the Veteran full time.

Benefits for eligible caregivers include training, mental health counseling and certain travel benefits. A Primary Family Caregiver may also receive a monthly stipend, CHAMPVA health coverage if they do not have other coverage, free legal and financial planning help, and at least 30 days of respite care a year. A Veteran can appoint one Primary and up to two Secondary Family Caregivers.

VA says it assigns caregivers no later than 90 days after it gets the application. The Caregiver Support Line is 855-260-3274. VA also has a general caregiver support program for caregivers of Veterans who do not qualify for this one. See our glossary entry on the family caregiver and on respite care.

Which VA program fits which situation?

Match the program to the need, not the name.

You can ask about several. VA says aide services can be used with other home and community-based services.

How does VA money work with private home care?

Aid and Attendance is a monthly payment added to a pension. VA does not run it as a service. Families decide how to spend the money alongside other funds. VA aide care and Veteran-Directed Care are different. VA arranges or funds those through its own programs.

Many families use more than one source. For example, a family might use a VA benefit plus private pay for evenings and weekends, or for live-in care when needs grow. Others add companion care for company and errands. Our paying for care hub covers other sources.

Ask a HomeCare.com care advisor which payment options apply to your situation.

Next step

Start with one call to your local VA social worker or a VA-accredited representative. Then, if you want to talk through care hours and payment options, call a HomeCare.com care advisor at 800-974-3458 or request a call. Ask which payment options apply to your situation.