KC Senior Guide

Legal & Planning Guide

VA Aid & Attendance: help paying for care

One of the most underused benefits in senior care: if your loved one is a wartime veteran or the surviving spouse of one and needs help with daily living, VA Aid & Attendance can provide extra monthly income to help pay for that care. Many eligible families never apply simply because they don't know it exists.

What it is: an enhanced VA pension (added on top of the basic Veterans Pension) for eligible wartime veterans and surviving spouses who need help with daily activities, are housebound, or live in assisted living or a nursing home. The money can pay for in-home care, assisted living, or nursing-home care.

What it can pay for

Aid & Attendance is paid as monthly pension income, so it's flexible — families commonly use it toward in-home caregivers, assisted living, or nursing-home costs.

Who may qualify

Eligibility generally requires all of the following:

  • Wartime service — typically at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a defined wartime period (you don't need to have served in combat).
  • A discharge that is other than dishonorable.
  • A care need — needing help with everyday activities, being housebound, or living in a care facility.
  • Income and net-worth within VA limits (these change yearly).

Qualifying surviving spouses of wartime veterans may be eligible too.

How to apply — for free

You can apply through the VA (VA Form 21-2680, "Examination for Housebound Status or Permanent Need for Regular Aid and Attendance") via the VA Pension Management Center, or — often easier — with a VA-accredited representative or Veterans Service Officer, who can help at no cost. Start at VA.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.

Important: legitimate help with an Aid & Attendance claim is free. Be cautious of anyone charging a fee to file your claim or pushing financial products to "qualify" you. Use the free VSOs in our veterans resources — the Missouri Veterans Commission and the Kansas Office of Veterans Services.

Local KC-area help is listed in our veterans resources, including the Kansas City VA Medical Center.

This guide is general information, not legal, financial, or benefits advice. Eligibility rules and dollar limits are set by the VA and change over time — confirm current details at VA.gov or with a VA-accredited Veterans Service Officer.