Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits are special benefits paid in addition to the Department of Veterans Affairs' pension benefit. Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits help with paying for in–home care, assisted living or a nursing home. If a veteran or spouse qualifies for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits, it increases their maximum annual pension rate, or MAPR.
VA Aid and Attendance
Aid and Attendance (A&A) is a benefit paid in addition to monthly veteran pension and disability compensation. A&A can help cover the cost of in–home care, assisted living or a nursing home.
This benefit may not be paid without eligibility for pension. Veterans may be eligible for A&A when:
- They need the aid of another person in order to perform personal functions required in everyday living, such as bathing, feeding, dressing, attending to the wants of nature, adjusting prosthetic devices, or protecting themself from the hazards of their daily environment
- They are bedridden
- They are a patient in a nursing home due to mental or physical incapacity
- They are blind or have corrected vision of 5/200 or less, in both eyes, or concentric contraction of the visual field to 5 degrees or less.
Housebound Benefits
Like A&A, Housebound benefits can't be paid without eligibility for pension. Veterans may be eligible for Housebound benefits when:
- They have a single permanent disability evaluated as 100% and, due to that disability, they are permanently and substantially confined to their home
- They have a single permanent disability evaluated as 100% and another disability, or disabilities, evaluated as 60% or greater.
A veteran can't get both Aid and Attendance and Housebound benefits at the same time.
Applying for Aid and Attendance and Housebound Benefits
You may apply for Aid and Attendance or Housebound benefits by contacting your local VA office. You may also contact the VA at 800-827-1000 for more help.
You should include copies of any evidence, preferably a report from a doctor validating the need for Aid and Attendance or Housebound type care.
- The report should be in sufficient detail to determine whether there is disease or injury producing physical or mental impairment, loss of coordination, or conditions affecting the ability to dress and undress, to feed oneself, to attend to sanitary needs, and to keep oneself ordinarily clean and presentable.
- Whether the claim is for Aid and Attendance or Housebound, the report should indicate how well the applicant gets around, where the applicant goes, and what he or she is able to do during a typical day. In addition, it is necessary to determine whether the claimant is confined to the home or immediate premises.
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