Fort Myers Senior AdvisorWhat is VA Aid and Attendance?
Aid and Attendance is an increase to the VA's needs-based pension for a wartime veteran or surviving spouse who needs help from another person with daily activities, is bedridden, lives in a nursing home because of disability, or has limited eyesight.
| Who is claiming | Maximum annual pension | Per month |
|---|---|---|
| Veteran with no dependents, Aid and Attendance | $29,093 | $2,424 |
| Veteran with one dependent, Aid and Attendance | $34,488 | $2,874 |
| Two veterans married to each other, both A&A | $46,143 | $3,845 |
| Surviving spouse, no dependents, Aid and Attendance | $18,697 | $1,558 |
| Veteran with no dependents, Housebound | $21,313 | $1,776 |
VA pension rate table, effective December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026.
The amounts are maximums; the VA subtracts countable income after deducting unreimbursed medical expenses, which can include assisted living and home care costs.
Who qualifies for a VA pension with Aid and Attendance?
The veteran must have served at least 90 days of active duty with at least one day during a wartime period (with later rules for those who entered after 1980), have a discharge other than dishonorable, meet the net worth limit of $163,699 for the current rate year, and meet the medical need test for the higher rate.
Surviving spouses qualify on the veteran's service if they meet the same financial and need tests. The VA looks back three years for asset transfers and can impose a penalty period.
Where do Lee County veterans get VA health care?
Most Lee County veterans use the VA's Lee County Healthcare Center in Cape Coral, an outpatient clinic of the Bay Pines VA Healthcare System, and the VA can also pay for care in contracted community nursing homes and home care for enrolled veterans based on need.
VA long-term care benefits through the health care system are separate from the pension; a veteran can use both. Ask the clinic's social work team about the Community Nursing Home program and homemaker and home health aide services.
Who can help a Lee County veteran apply for VA benefits for free?
Lee County's Veterans Services office and accredited veterans service organization representatives help with pension and Aid and Attendance claims at no charge; anyone charging a fee to help file an initial claim is breaking VA rules.
Be wary of "benefits advisers" at seminars who suggest moving assets into annuities or trusts to qualify. Ask for a VA accreditation number before taking advice.
How long does a VA pension claim take?
Pension claims often take several months; benefits are paid back to the date the VA received an intent to file or the claim, so filing an intent to file early protects the start date while documents are gathered.
Gather the DD-214, marriage and death certificates for a surviving spouse, a physician's statement of care needs, and receipts for care costs. An assisted living contract showing monthly charges helps establish deductible medical expenses.
The short version
| VA pension with Aid and Attendance is | VA pension with Aid and Attendance is not | |
|---|---|---|
| Basis | Needs-based, for wartime veterans and survivors | Tied to a service-connected disability |
| Use | Cash that can pay any care provider | Restricted to VA facilities |
| Help | Free filing help from accredited representatives | Something you should pay a seminar to get |
Built from Chapters 400, 408, 429 and 651 of the Florida Statutes, Fla. Admin. Code chapters 59A-4, 59A-36 and 65A-2, and AHCA, DCF, OIR, Elder Affairs, CMS, VA and CareScout publications cited on the page; see our editorial standards.
