Wartime Veteran & Surviving Spousal Benefits
The VA’s non-service connected disability – Aid and Attendance Pension – was designed to assist wartime veterans and their surviving spouses with the purchase of necessary and recurring non-reimbursed health and homecare expenses. Included in the VA definition of non-reimbursed expenses are: privately paid expenses for homecare services*, private health care premiums, continence supplies, diabetic supplies, and some equipment rental expenses.
(* Homecare services provided by a licensed agency. Includes assistance with cooking, light housekeeping, transportation, errands, grocery shopping, providing medication reminders, and assistance with dressing, personal hygiene, and grooming .)
Maximum Pension Amounts (*subject to change based on annual adjustments in social security)
Veteran: $1,757.00 per month
Surviving Spouse: $1,129.00 per month
Veteran and Spouse: $2,084.00 per month
Veteran and Veteran Spouse: $2,760.00 per month
Pension Eligibility
To qualify for this pension, the veteran…
- Must have been honorably discharged.
- Must have served a minimum of 90 days of active military duty.
- Must have served a minimum of 1 (one) day during wartime regardless of location.
To qualify, the applicant, whether the veteran or surviving spouse…
- Must own less than $80,000 in liquid assets (bank accounts, stocks, mutual funds, etc.)
- Requires medical diagnosis that indicates he/she needs regular assistance with “activities of daily living”.
This is determined on an individual basis through your Primary Care Physician and includes any of the following conditions:
- Difficulties with ambulation, inability to drive, diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, previous stroke activity, severe arthritis, breathing/lung disease, visual problems, Parkinson’s disease or severe osteoporosis.
Each case will be determined on an individual basis and is not limited to the above stated conditions.
Income eligibility is based upon a net combination of your monthly income (excluding VA Pension, Social Security Supplements and welfare payments), less recurring non-reimbursed medical expenses – including homecare services.
